Daniel Mumbere with AGENCIES
Mozambicans took to the polls on Tuesday taking part in
presidential, provincial and legislative elections, pitting the two main
parties, Frelimo and Renamo against each other.
In
this article, we highlight the election issues, presidential candidates, electoral
guidelines and the process from voting to announcement of official results.
- Renamo wants elections results cancelled
- Opposition rejects results
- Frelimo, Nyusi gain early lead
- US expresses concern over credibility of polls
- Observer missions share initial observations
- Electoral body decides against provisional results
- Vote counting underway
- Polls close
- President, opposition leaders vote
- Polls open
- Will peace deal hold?
- Presidential candidates
- Election issues
- Electoral guidelines
Renamo unhappy with results
The
main opposition party, Renamo on Saturday accused the ruling Frelimo party of
violating a recently signed peace deal, by using ‘violence and intimidation’ to
pursue political objectives.
With
around 39% of the votes counted from roughly 13 million registered voters,
incumbent president Filipe Nyusi has taken a lead securing 68.85%, while his
main competitor Osuffo Momade of the Renamo party has racked up 26.20% of the
vote so far.
The
secretary general of Renamo, Andre Magibire, said the party was unhappy with
the way Tuesday’s presidential, legislative and provincial elections were
carried out and that there had been “massive fraud”.
Frelimo’s
spokesman Caifadine Manasse said elections were fair, free and transparent and
would not affect the peace agreement.
This
election was seen as make or break for the peace pact, which put a formal end
to decades of hostility between Renamo and Frelimo.
The
two fought on opposite sides of a civil war that ended in a truce in 1992, but
have clashed sporadically in the years since.
Magibire
said Renamo would hold a meeting on Monday to decide its next steps.
Opposition MDM party rejects results
The
opposition Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM) denounced a “shameful
electoral process”.
In
a statement issued on Friday, the MDM expressed its “indignation” and
“rejection” of the electoral process.
“We
claim that there has been fraud,” the party added, “these elections were
neither fair, free nor transparent.’‘
The
main opposition party, Renamo has refrained from making any official comments
since Tuesday’s election.
Preliminary results give Nyusi lead
Mozambique’s
electoral commision released first results of Tuesday’s presidential and
legislative elections, which indicated that the incumbent president and the
ruling party had taken an early lead.
After
counting 830,000 ballots cast, representing just over 6% of the 13.1 million
registered voters, the current head of state, Filipe Nyusi, who is running for
a second term, has polled nearly 75% of the votes, according to the results published
by the NEC on its website on Friday.
The
main opposition candidate, Ossufo Momade, leader of the main opposition party
Renamo, the former rebellion of the civil war (1975-1992), received 20% of the
votes, according to the same results.
At
the last presidential election, Mr. Nyusi won with 58% of the votes in front of
the historical leader of the Renamo Afonso Dhlakama (37%).
In
the legislative elections, Frelimo, which has led Mozambique since its
independence from Portugal in 1975, is well ahead with 70% of the votes after
counting 750,000 ballots, ahead of Renamo with 22% of the votes, according to
initial results.
The NEC is
scheduled to announce the results of the provincial elections on Monday, which
also took place on Tuesday.
United States expresses concerns
In
a statement on Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Mozambique issued “serious concerns
about (…) irregularities that could have consequences on the perception of the
integrity of the electoral process”.
The
statement cited “discrepancies” between the voters’ lists and the population
census in several regions, including in the provinces of Gaza (south) and
Zambezia (central).
The
statement added that in many polling stations in Gaza, the turnout at the end
of the day was “almost 100%” while it remained “low until mid-afternoon”.
EU criticises ruling party
The
European Union observer mission deployed in Mozambique on Thursday raised an
alarm, citing unfair conditions and unjustified use of state resources by the
ruling party, as well as widespread violence.
“An
unlevel playing field was evident throughout the campaign,” the EU mission said
in a statement.
“The
ruling party dominated the campaign in all provinces and benefited from …
incumbency, including unjustified use of state resources, and more police
escorts and media coverage than opponents.”
Frelimo
spokesman Caifadine Manasse said the EU claims were “unfounded”.
“Frelimo
went to these elections as a governing party, but competed on equal terms with
the other parties,” Manasse said.
“The
European Union is acting badly in making such pronouncements …We work on the
ground using our means, the means of the Frelimo party and the candidate.”
Very
few results have yet trickled out, although an official at the electoral
commission said they may start coming out on Friday, the law allows 15 days in
total after the vote.
“Inter-party
violence was prevalent as well as mistrust between the main political parties
and a lack of confidence that the electoral administration … (was)
independent,” the EU said, adding that there was also little public trust in
the independence of the police.
African observer missions urge caution
African
observer missions were more sanguine, with both the African Union team lead by
former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and the Southern Africa bloc SADC praising
the poll for being peaceful and well organised.
“We
commend (the electoral commission) and the state for conducting successful,
peaceful and orderly elections,” SADC mission chief Oppah
Muchinguri-Kashiri told journalists.
“Parties
and people must be patient and remain committed to Peace as the results are
being compiled for validation,” said Muchinguri-Kashiri, who is Zimbabwe’s
defence minister.
The
former rebel movement Renamo seeks to control its traditional heartlands in
central and northern provinces but it faces the waning popularity of its
candidate, Ossufo Momade, and a challenge from younger opposition party,
the MDM.
Tensions rise over results proclamation
Voters
in Mozambique are wary of the possibility of post-election violence, following
the decision by the electoral commission to not publish provisional results.
The
electoral body indicated that it will only release the final results within the
mandated 15-day period following Tuesday’s vote.
‘‘The
official electoral results could take a long time to come out, and so that
could lead to irregularities and violence,’‘ Egidio Guambe, director of
‘Plataforma Transparencia eleitoral said.
The
counting of results itself has not been without incident. Watchdog Sala da Paz
said police fired tear gas and warning shots in the central province of Nampula
— a Renamo stronghold, after opposition supporters refused to leave polling
premises to “protect their vote”.
‘‘We
cannot say that the process was 100 percent free and fair but we definitely
think it would be an acceptable process where we definitely believe that the
political parties also can accept the outcome of these elections,’‘ said
Hermenegildo Mulhovo, member of Sala da Paz.
Vote counting, ballot-stuffing allegations
Allegations
of ballot-stuffing have persisted in Mozambique despite Tuesday’s dismissal of
the same by the country’s electoral commission as ‘completely untrue’.
The
Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE) refuted reports by
opposition parties that an unauthorised private company brought ballot boxes
and voting material into Mozambique, with the intention of undermining the
election.
STAE says
all voting material was produced by the companies Academica and Uniprint, which
won the tender.
It’s
director Felisberto Naife added that a through investigation of these
allegations would be conducted, including a process of evaluating authenticity
of extra ballot papers.
On
social media, several observers and voters shared pictures and videos showing
the ongoing process of counting and tallying votes.
Ballot counting is ongoing in the Mozambican general elections? Balsu skaitīšana Mozambikas vispārējās vēlēšanās #MozambiqueElections #eleições2019 #ilovemyjob
See Linda Mazure 
(Vinotava)'s other Tweets
(Vinotava)'s other Tweets#MozambiqueElections
Sample from a polling station in Beira
Number of voters 158
Number of ballots in the box 252
132 people are talking about this
Polls close
At
6pm local time (1600 GMT), polls closed as stipulated by the law.
Mozambicans will hope that authorities can announce the outcome as soon as
possible. The law allows for 15 days for results to be announced.
Fragile peace
President
Filipe Nyusi praised Mozambicans for deciding their destiny in elections and
called for peace and calm to continue.
“Mozambique
has chosen peace,” he said after casting his ballot at a school in the capital
Maputo.
Outside
of Mozambique’s remote north, the main security risk would come from a
disgruntled opposition.
“If
[the vote] is manipulated, we will never accept it,” Renamo presidential
candidate and party leader Ossufo Momade said after casting his ballot in
Nampula, in the north.
“We
have to do whatever we can do, if the people want us to,” he said, without
elaborating on the warning.
Momade
is seen by analysts as less likely to turn to violence than his predecessor,
but also as less able to maintain control of the party and supporters.
Both
opposition parties, Renamo and younger challenger the MDM, have already
made allegations of vote rigging.
The
run-up to the vote was marked by sporadic violence, including the killing of an
election observer and attacks from a breakaway group of Renamo fighters that
killed one person.
Polls open
On
Tuesday, 20,000 polling stations welcomed Mozambicans to cast their votes.
Throughout the day, nearly 13 million registered voters were expected to select
a President of the republic, 250 deputies, ten governors and members of
provincial assemblies.
As members of the @_AfricanUnion Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to Mozambique general elections, my team and I set out early this morning to witness the opening of the ballot in some polling stations in the capital city Maputo.
We are looking forward to a successful outcome as the good people of Mozambique visit the polling stations across the country today to perform this important civic duty.
GEJ
99 people are talking about this
Will election make or break peace deal?
President
Filipe Nyusi is widely expected to win a second term, while the main opposition
party, Renamo hopes to win more political power,following a peace deal signed
between the two civil war rivals in August.
Under
the deal, provincial governors will now be picked by the main party in each
province, rather than the government in Maputo, and Renamo is banking on
traditional provincial strongholds such as Sofala to gain influence.
“The
biggest threat to the peace process is if Renamo does not deliver a good number
of provinces,” said Alex Vines, head of the Africa programme at Chatham House.
Frelimo
has dominated the politics since the southern African country’s independence
from Portugal in 1975.
Presidential Candidates
President
Felipe Nyusi is the incumbent, having succeeded his mentor Armando Guebuza as
head of Mozambique in 2014. The country’s first president from the Southern
region, Nyusi is struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency in his home
region.
Ossufo
Momade, took over the reigns of the National Resistance of Mozambique (Renamo)
last year, when its historic leader, Afonso Dhlakama died suddenly. He signed
the peace deal with government to end the decades-old conflict, but is yet to
win the full support of the movement’s armed wing.
David
Simango, who seceded from Renamo in 2009, is contesting the presidency for the
third time. Since 2003, Simango has been mayor of the Mozambican city of Beira,
ravaged by Cyclone Idai six months ago.
Mario
Albinois the outsider of the presidential election, leading the United Movement
for Integral Salvation (AMUSI), which was created by former members of
Simango’s party.
Election issues
President
Nyusi has pledged to develop the country’s gas reserves, and consequently
tackle the extreme poverty that is fuelling an Islamist insurgency in regions
like Cabo Delgado. Mozambique is set to become a top global gas exporter, and
expects investments worth $50, more than four times its current GDP.
Nyusi’s
government has taken a hit in reputation by the relentless attacks on villages
in the gas-rich region, a Frelimo stronghold. Attacks have increased in the
run-up to the vote, making campaigning impossible in some districts, said Human
Rights Watch researcher Zenaida Machado.
While
a peace deal was signed in August to end decades of hostilities, a breakaway
faction of Renamo fighters that disputes some aspects of the accord has been
staging attacks in the group’s traditional central strongholds, demanding that
party leader Ossufo Momade resign and the election be postponed.
Senior
Frelimo politicians and associates, including a former finance minister and the
ex-president’s son have been charged in a $2 billion debt scandal that has
tarnished the party’s image. The discovery of previously undisclosed loans, all
guaranteed by the government, prompted the International Monetary Fund and
foreign donors to cut off support, triggering a currency collapse and a
sovereign debt default.
Six
months after two cyclones ravaged the country, killing hundreds and wreaking
destruction across central and northern regions, the effects are still being
felt, in the lead up to the election. Researchers say affected Mozambicans lost
their voter cards or identity documents needed to cast ballots, during the storms.
Opposition parties have also accused the government of not doing enough to
assist affected people
High-stakes election
Renamo
fought Frelimo for 16 years from 1977 to 1992 in a Cold War conflict that
killed about one million people. It ended in a truce but sporadic violence has
flared in the years since,including after Renamo challenged election results in
2014.
The
problem for Renamo in places such as Beira, the capital of Sofala province, is
that Frelimo, as well as the smaller Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), are
muscling in on its traditional turf.
Nyusi’s
credibility has been knocked by the insurgency and a graft scandal that sank
the economy, but Frelimo holds numerous districts in Sofala following local
elections last year, and dozens of people told Reuters the ruling party had
their vote.
Frelimo
spokesman Caifadine Manasse said it had consolidated the rule of law and
tackled graft.
Chatham
House’s Vines said if Renamo wins three or four of Mozambique’s 10 provinces in
next week’s vote, that should be sufficient to placate its supporters.
But
any fewer and a recent bout of party infighting over the peace deal could
worsen. Renamo’s leadership could lose control of sections of the party,
threatening commitment to the agreement or even a return to targeted violence,
he said.
Renamo
spokeswoman Maria Ivone Soares said the party was convinced it would win in
Sofala and other provinces.
“The
results are unlikely to be disappointing because of the … corruption,
unemployment, inequality and misery that have been promoted in this country
since national independence.”
Electoral system
The
president is elected using the two-round system, and must win an absolute
majority to avoid a run-off or second round.
The
250 members of the Assembly are elected by proportional representation, where
the party with the most votes appoints the leaders in each region.
Mozambicans
in the diaspora (Africa and Europe) are also represented.
Polls
open at 7am local time (0500 GMT) and close at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT). The
law allows 15 days for results to be announced.
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