Voters in Mozambique cast their ballots for a new president on Wednesday, in an election anticipated to prolong the ruling party’s nearly 49-year reign since the country achieved independence from Portugal in 1975.
President Filipe Nyusi has reached the limit of two terms in office. He urged patience while the votes are being tallied and warned, “We ask that no group of citizens incite others or issue threats. It’s important for everything to proceed peacefully and calmly. I want to reiterate that the match lasts 90 minutes. (Using a soccer match as a metaphor) The final outcome is only known after the last whistle. We should avoid declaring results too soon, whether it’s 15 or 20 minutes into the match or at halftime, as it’s too early to declare a winner. History has shown that teams have jumped the gun in announcing results, so it’s essential for everyone to remain focused and not disrupt the process.”
Analysts believe that the most significant threat to Chapo and Frelimo’s control may arise from Venancio Mondlane, an independent candidate aged 50, who is new to the national political scene.
Voters will also be selecting members of Parliament and provincial governors in a nation of approximately 33 million, which endured a brutal 15-year civil war that concluded in 1992 and is currently facing a violent jihadist insurgency in the north.
Both main candidates have committed to addressing this insurgency and restoring stability in Cabo Delgado province, where 1.3 million people have been displaced, with over half still without homes.
Additionally, issues such as poverty, youth unemployment, and government corruption are major concerns for the electorate.
The integrity of the election will be questioned, as the leftist Frelimo party faces allegations of ballot-stuffing and manipulating results in past elections, including last year’s local contests.
Frelimo has repeatedly rejected claims of electoral fraud.
Lutero Simango, backed by the MDM party established in 2008 and seen as an outsider, demands fair and transparent election results, stating, “We strive for this process to be carried out openly and justly. The exclusion of MDM representatives and the refusal to grant credentials to our delegates only paves the way for fraud. I want to let everyone know that in the next few hours, I will personally visit all the voting centers in Maputo to ensure that my party members are there.”
Regional and international election observer teams, including those from the European Union, are present in Mozambique.
After gaining independence, Frelimo effectively created a one-party state and engaged in a civil war against the Mozambique National Resistance, known as Renamo, for 15 years.
The nation, where Portuguese is the official language, conducted its first elections in 1994, two years following a peace agreement.
Renamo is participating in the election, with Ossufo Momade, a former military commander from the civil war, as its presidential candidate.
The peace between Frelimo and Renamo has been unstable, highlighted by renewed violence in 2013.
In 2019, Momade and the outgoing president Nyusi signed another peace agreement.
However, tensions persist, particularly between the two former rival parties.
There are four presidential candidates: Chapo, Mondlane, Momade, and Lutero Simango from the Mozambique Democratic Movement, who is considered an outsider.
Independent candidate Mondlane, who separated from Renamo, is targeting young Mozambicans disillusioned by poverty and unemployment.
Mozambique has a stunning coastline along the Indian Ocean, but this area has faced severe cyclones in recent years.
Additionally, a drought this year has left over a million people in Mozambique facing hunger.
In 2016, it was revealed that government officials and others had misappropriated more than $2 billion in undisclosed foreign loans, plunging the economy into a crisis that it is still trying to recover from.
Vote counting has begun following the closure of polls in the one-day election.
Initial results from certain regions are anticipated by Thursday, while the complete results must be submitted to the Constitutional Council within 15 days after the polls close for validation and official announcement.
Approximately 17 million individuals are registered to cast their votes.
Analysts largely anticipate that Frelimo will continue to hold power for at least the next five years by electing Daniel Chapo as the party won over 70% of the vote in the national elections five years ago.
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