
Daniel Chapo, candidato presidencial da Frelimo, vota nas eleições gerais na cidade de Inhambane, capital da província homónima
Maputo, 24 Oct (AIM) – Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo Party has strengthened its hold on power, according to the results from the 9 October general elections, announced in Maputo on Thursday by the chairperson of the National Elections Commission (CNE), Anglican Bishop Carlos Matsinhe.
According to these official results, Frelimo won everything – its candidate won over 70 per cent of the presidential vote, and it secured sledgehammer majorities in the national parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, and in all ten provincial assemblies.
The results are just a compilation of the figures obtained from the provincial counts, which in turn are just a summation of the district and city results. The CNE has not presented a single polling station result, despite calls from national and international observer groups to publish all the polling station results.
The CNE made no attempt to refute the accusations of ballot box stuffing and other types of election fraud.
Independent presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane claims that his team carried out a parallel vote count which showed that he won the presidential election, and that the main party which supported him, Podemos, won the parliamentary election.
But, like the CNE, Mondlane has not presented any polling station results sheets (“editais”) which might prove his case. Without the editais, it is impossible to say who won.
What is absolutely clear, however, is that turnout was very low. Out of 17.2 million registered voters, only 43.48 per cent voted in the presidential election. In the most populous provinces, the turnout was even lower, with an abstention rate of 71 per cent in Nampula.
The rise of Mondlane and Podemos has been catastrophic for the traditional opposition parties, Renamo and the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), who lost most of their parliamentary seats.
In the parliament elected in 2019, Frelimo had 184 seats, to 60 for Renamo and six for the MDM.
But now Frelimo has 195 seats while Renamo has 20 and the MDM four. Podemos has come from nowhere to take 31 seats, and become the leader of the opposition in parliament. Renamo thus lost 40 seats – 31 to Podemos and nine to Frelimo.
Frelimo won control of all the provincial assemblies, and so it is Frelimo appointees who become the provincial governors, including seven sitting governors who ran for a further term of office.
The constituencies for the provincial assemblies are the districts, and Frelimo won in every district except one – the central city of Beira. Beira has long been an opposition stronghold, and this time the MDM won 44.34 per cent of the vote to 42 per cent for Frelimo (and 5.46 per cent for Renamo).
Frelimo may have been helped by the fact that Podemos did not run in most of the districts.
(AIM)
Pf/ (462)