Using ICTs To Cover Mozambique Elections 2009 - African Elections Project leads the way

 

                                      Press Release

For immediate release

Maputo, Mozambique, October 28^th 2009

As Mozambicans heads to the polls today Wednesday 28^th October to elect president, legislators and provincials leaders, African Elections Project (AEP) is covering this election at its flagship website: www.africanelections.org/mozambique , via twitter at http://twitter.com/mozambiquevotos, providing SMS service powered by frontlinesms and also watching the media through its media monitoring system. Mozambique coverage comes after AEP's successful coverage of Botswana's 10^th general election which took place October 16 2009. In Southern Africa, AEP is also scheduled to cover Namibia's elections www.africanelections.org/namibia   from 28th to 29th November 2009 as well. The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa www.osisa.org is providing funding for these countries coverage.

 

Ruling party, Frenmte de Libertação de Moçambique FRELIMO (the Liberation Front of Mozambique) candidate and sitting President Armando Guebuza is running for a second term and is highly expected to win. FRELIMO since the country independence in 1975 has dominated Mozambican political space. For the opposition parties, longtime opposition leader Afonso Dhlakama from Resistência Nacional de Moçambique(RENAMO) Mozambican National Resistance, is a strong contender in this race. The third largest opposition party Movimento Democrático de Moçambique(MDM) Mozambique Democratic Movement is also contesting the polls with Davis Simango as its presidential candidate.

Prior to the elections coverage, AEP in conjunction with its partners, Media Institute For Southern Africa (MISA) www.misa.org  Mozambique held a two-day workshop aimed at equipping journalists with cutting edge Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) skills in elections coverage in Maputo from 6-8 October 2009.

AEP was established in 2008 to empower journalists to cover elections using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) across the continent. After a successful take-off in Ghana, Cote d' Ivoire, Mozambique, Malawi and Guinea, AEP also launched its Namibia phase of the project in Windhoek on 13th October 2009.

The African Elections Project is coordinated by Ghana based International Institute for ICT Journalism (www.penplusbytes.org) working hand in hand with key partners.

 

Signed

Egidio Vaz Raposo

Associate Editor