The State Unit of Maranhão began on Thursday, November 4, the data collection of the 2022 Population Census Dress Rehearsal. The city selected to the data collection was Bacabal, far nearly 240 km from the capital São Luís, which will count with 14 enumerators covering 10 enumeration areas in the urban zone of the municipality.

Aiming at disseminating the Census Dress Rehearsal and mobilizing the society around the 2022 Population Census, the UE-MA organized an opening ceremony on Thursday morning. The ceremony took place at the auditorium of the Municipal Secretariat of Education, granted by the City Hall of Bacabal, and counted with the participation of the head of the UE in Maranhão, Marcelo Virginio de Melo, who opened the event. The ceremony also counted with the following authorities: vice-mayor Graciete Lisboa, city councilor Venâncio da Silva Costa, representing the City Council, the commander of the 15th Battalion of the Military Police, major Berrêdo, and the commander of the Fire Department, captain David Harrison.

Also present in the event members of several secretariats of Bacabal, as well as from other cities in the region, representatives of the City Guard, Federal University of Maranhão, Federal Institute of Maranhão, State University of Maranhão and other institutions.

The opening session attracted many state and regional TV stations that interviewed IBGE technicians and authorities, as well as followed the data collection in the field. The coverage involved live interviews, transmission in real time through the Internet and recorded stories included in the TV news along the day.

The coordinator of dissemination of the Population Census in Maranhão, João Ricardo Silva, praised the “selection of Bacabal as the headquarter of the 2000 Population Census Dress Rehearsal, especially due to the strategic location of the city, which occupies a central position in the state accessed by highways like the BR-316.” The servant also highlighted “the success of the launching event, as it fostered a great mobilization of the society and partnerships aiming at the Census in 2022.”

_{Servants of the UE-MA}