Mozambique’s journalists’ union criticized the media for giving “different treatment” to some presidential competitors and candidates, in terms of time and media space.
The National Union of Journalists (SNJ) of Mozambique criticized this Friday “some media outlets” for a lack of balance in the coverage of the activity of candidates and political parties in the general elections of October 9.
“There were times when some media outlets gave Differential treatment of the activities of political parties and competing presidential candidates.in terms of space and time in newspapers, radio, television and digital media,” says the SNJ, in a statement released this Friday.
This organization admits that, in some cases, the inequality with which the presidential candidates and political forces were treated was due to the difference in the intensity and extent of the public activities of the contenders themselves in the general elections.
“It was clear that the challenge of seeking balance in campaign and voting coverage prevails“reads the press release.
The SNJ also criticized candidates and parties for sharing little information about campaign agendas with the media, making the work of journalists difficult.
“On the other hand, deliberately or not, The airtime to which competitors are entitled in public media was used very little. In a context in which there were 37 registered political parties, the use of this legal command was only seen, for the most part, by formations with seats in the Assembly of the Republic and some extra-parliamentary ones,” the statement continues.
The SNJ regrets that the media have been “dragged” to electoral campaign events outside the hours established by law (from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.), which has resulted in a violation of electoral legislation.
Despite the criticism, the SNJ concludes that Mozambican media professionals demonstrated their indispensable role in the general electionssharing relevant information and helping to strengthen democracy and freedom of opinion.
“Journalists and other media professionals knew how to play their role in informing, obeying the dictates of the Press Law, electoral legislation and the codes of ethics and professional deontology,” he highlights.
The general elections of October 9 included the seventh presidential elections – in which the current head of state, Filipe Nyusi, who reached the limit of two terms – was no longer running, simultaneously with the seventh legislative elections and the fourth for provincial assemblies and governors.
The CNE has 15 days, after the polls close, to announce the official results of the elections, which is October 24, and the Constitutional Council will then be in charge of proclaiming the results, once the analysis of possible resources. , but without a defined period for this purpose.
The district and provincial electoral commissions have already completed the counting of the votes, which according to public announcements give an advantage to the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo, the party in power) and the presidential candidate that that party supports, Daniel Chapo, over El 60% of the votes, although presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane questions these results, citing data from the original voting minutes and obituaries, which he collects throughout the country.
Venâncio Mondlane guaranteed, on Thursday, in Beira, in central Mozambique, that after the announcement of the results of the general elections he will appeal to the Constitutional Council, with the original minutes and minutes of the vote.
Source: Observadora
