The official results have yet to be released, but it is becoming clear that the Liberation Front of Mozambique (FRELIMO), the party in power since Mozambique’s independence almost 50 years ago, and its candidate, Daniel Chapo, will win.
In the presidential race, Venancio Mondlane, one of three opposition candidates who recently left Renamo to run as an independent candidate against Renamo chairman Ossufo Momade, came in second place.
But Mondlane claims victory in this election, saying he is the victim of massive electoral fraud: “What we are seeing here is election rigging of the highest order,” Mondlane told DW, adding: “This is nothing new, we have seen this in past elections.”
Official numbers indicate victory for Frelimo, which has ruled Mozambique since independence in 1975. In the capital Maputo, 53.68% of the votes are said to have gone to Daniel Chapo, while Venâncio Mondlane received 33.84%, followed by Renamo’s Ossufo Momade, with about 9%, and Lutero Simango of the MDM (Democratic Movement of Mozambique) party, with around 3%.
Representatives of the ruling party are pleased: “These are fair results that reflect the will of the people. These elections were very transparent,” Frelimo’s secretary in Maputo, Antonio Niquice, told DW.
In the restive northeastern region of Cabo Delgado, which has endured a bloody jihadist war since 2017, Daniel Chapo also officially won, with about 66% of the votes, followed by Venancio Mondlane (22.64%). Ossufo Momade took third place with 7.56%, and Lutero Simango finished last with just under 4%.
Observers see Renamo’s support eroded
The results are particularly concerning for Renamo: its status as Mozambique’s main opposition is at risk.
“Podemos, a party not yet represented in parliament that supported Venancio Mondlane’s presidential candidacy, will take Renamo’s place,” Mozambican analyst Jaime Guiliche told DW.
Mondlane, who only left Renamo shortly before the elections, has shaken up the political landscape, the analyst added: “I think we will see a situation where Renamo is no longer the second-largest political force and will fall to third place. That would be a significant change in our country’s political landscape,” Guiliche said.
Opposition accuses Frelimo of election fraud
Renamo fought a bloody civil war against FRELIMO’s one-party regime after independence, especially in the Zambezia province. Winning local elections here is still possible, but even in Zambezia, Frelimo is expected to win. Over the weekend Renamo demanded the vote count in eight districts of Zambezia be annulled, claiming its delegates were prevented from overseeing the process. The complaint was submitted to the relevant election commission.
Manuel de Araujo, Renamo’s candidate for governor of Zambezia, set out on a “mission” through “Europe and America” this weekend to denounce what he calls electoral fraud in Mozambique’s general elections.
“There was organized disorganization by the electoral authorities, who did not provide enough staff or the necessary voting materials in many polling stations,” Araujo told DW.
Thousands of Mozambicans could not vote because their names were removed from the voter rolls by the STAE (Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration), particularly in neighborhoods and districts that traditionally vote for Renamo, the Renamo politician said.
Araujo added that, in many cases, counting had to be done by candlelight because the power supply was sabotaged and cut off by Frelimo agents.
“In Quelimane, we found a folder with 117 pre-filled ballots in favor of Frelimo. When the STAE director was questioned, he claimed to know nothing about it and could not explain,” Araújo said.
All of these cases have been handed over to the prosecutor’s office. Araujo is calling for an independent national and international investigatiions: “As it stands now, it is not worth continuing to hold elections.”
