Mozambique votes in tense, high-stakes election
Tue 15 October 2019:
Polls have opened across Mozambique for presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections seen as a test of a recent peace deal between the ruling party and the armed opposition.
Nearly 13 million voters are registered in the southern African nation, though some observers warn that insecurity might keep some from voting.
Vote counting will start after polls close at 6pm local time (16:00 GMT) and is expected to continue through the night. Preliminary results are expected on Wednesday.
Tensions were high in Mozambique on the eve of elections which will likely see President Filipe Nyusi and his ruling Frelimo party maintain their grip on power amid fears the violence that marred the campaign may continue on polling day.
While Nyusi is widely expected to win a second term in Tuesday’s presidential vote, the main opposition is eyeing the opportunity for a strong performance in provincial and legislative races. The polls mark the first time provincial governors, previously appointed by the president, are elected in Mozambique
According to local NGO The Centre for Public Integrity, 44 people were killed during the election campaign – most in road accidents and some in a stadium stampede at a pro-Nyusi rally, but seven were murdered.
The United States Embassy warned on Friday of “credible threats” of violence in Nampula, advising US citizens to avoid the northern city. A travel advisory was also issued for Xai-Xai, the capital of Gaza province, where this month the head of local election observation efforts, Anastacio Matavel, was shot dead by a group of special operations police.
“We’ve never had free and fair elections, but these are the worst yet because of the gravity of the violence,” said Alice Mabota, a veteran human rights campaigner. Mabota was running as an independent, backed by the new Democratic Alliance Coalition, but her candidacy was blocked over allegations that some of her nomination signatures were fake.
The violence and manipulation at these elections are “visible to the naked eye”, Mabota argued, “but no one does anything. Before you couldn’t see the fraud. Now it’s obvious – and no one says anything. I don’t know what the international observers want. Oil and gas speaks louder than justice and fair elections.”
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