Preliminary results released yesterday, Wednesday show that Mozambique Liberation Front (Mozambique’s ruling party) is leading in all 11 provinces – making it likely to produce the country’s next president. But election observers say they have doubts over the integrity of the poll saying it did not meet international standards. They’ve reported issues including disorganized counting, poorly sealed ballot boxes, vote buying, inflated voter rolls, and intimidation in some areas.
Opposition parties, meanwhile, have cried fraud and at least one of them has called for a nationwide strike on Monday. Another has said it will challenge the results in court.
Frelimo has governed Mozambique since its independence from Portugal in 1975 and has been consistently accused of rigging elections — an allegation it denies.
FRELIMO, from Portuguese: Frente de Libertação de Moçambique, (Mozambique Liberation Front) is a democratic socialist political party in Mozambique. It has governed the country since its independence from Portugal in 1975.
You will recall that Mozambique just underwent voting for a new president in an election that could extend the ruling party’s 49 years in power since the southern African nation gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
Daniel Chapo, 47, is the candidate for the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique, or Frelimo, seeking to succeed President Filipe Nyusi, who has served a maximum of two terms.
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.
People also will vote for the makeup of Parliament and for provincial governors in a country of some 33 million people that went through a bloody, 15-year civil war that ended in 1992, and more recently has been shaken by an ongoing violent jihadist insurgency in the north.
Ending that insurgency and bringing stability to Cabo Delgado province — where 1.3 million fled their homes and more than half remain displaced — is a pledge by both leading candidates, while poverty, youth unemployment, and government corruption are top issues for voters.
Final results of the presidential elections are expected on the 24th of October.
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 is 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.”
The integrity of the election is very likely to 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.
Meanwhile, Lutero Simango, backed by the MDM party has demanded 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 currently present in Mozambique.
About Daniel Chapo
Daniel Francisco Chapo (born 6 January 1977) is a Mozambican politician. He served as the governor of Inhambane Province from 2016 to 2024. He is the candidate of the ruling political party, FRELIMO, for the 2024 presidential election.
Chapo was born on 6 January 1977 in Sofala Province, Mozambique. He attended Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo and studied law, graduating with a degree in 2000. Chapo became a notary public in 2004. He later received a master’s degree in development management from the Catholic University of Mozambique in 2014.
He has worked as an announcer for Rádio Miramar in Beira from 1997 to 1998 and later was a news presenter for Televisão Miramar in the capital from 2003 to 2004. He was appointed conservator of Nacala-Porto in 2005, and he interned for a bar association from 2007 to 2008 as well as taught political science and constitutional law at Maputo Pedagogical University in 2009.
Chapo entered politics with the party FRELIMO in 2009, being appointed administrator of the Nacala-a-Velha District. He later became administrator of the Palma District in 2015.
Daniel Chapo was appointed the governor of Inhambane Province in March 2016 after which he went on to be elected to the same position during the general elections in October 2019.
In May 2024, Chapo was announced as the FRELIMO candidate for the 2024 presidential election, to replace President Filipe Nyusi, by the party’s committee. Considered relatively unknown, his nomination was seen as a surprise. Much earlier, he was appointed the party’s interim secretary-general and later announced his resignation as governor of Inhambane Province, which was approved by the legislature on 23 May, to enable him to focus on the presidential election.
Stay tuned for more recent updates on the Presidential Elections ongoing in Mozambique on our website www.globalafricantimes.com
