Mozambique’s ruling party, Frelimo, has won the country’s controversial and violent election, keeping its 49-year rule over the southern African nation. According to official results, Frelimo’s candidate Daniel Chapo will become the new president, replacing Filipe Nyusi.
Chapo, who is 47 years old, won with 71% of the vote, making him the first president born after Mozambique’s independence in 1975.
His closest competitor, Venancio Mondlane, got only 20% of the vote. In his victory speech, Chapo mentioned that Frelimo remained calm during the election because they respected the law and were well-organized for success.
However, after the results were announced, violent protests broke out in several towns, leading to the deaths of some people, with a heavy police presence in certain areas. The election has been surrounded by claims of vote-rigging and the killing of opposition supporters, which sparked protests across the country. Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa, who has also faced allegations of election fraud in his own country, quickly congratulated Chapo on his victory even before the official results were made public.
Renamo’s candidate, Ossufo Momade, who used to lead the former rebel group and was once the main opposition party, came in third with just 6% of the vote. BBC reported that political analyst Tomas Viera Mario explained how Renamo had lost its historical influence because Momade, who is 68 years old, couldn’t attract younger voters.
The huge margin of victory for Frelimo was surprising even to some of its supporters, with Fernando Mazanga, a Renamo-appointed deputy chair of the electoral commission, stating that the results did not reflect the reality. He said they were unfair and did not match what people expected.
According to BBC, only 43% of the more than 17 million registered voters participated in the election. Frelimo not only won the presidency but also secured 195 out of 250 seats in parliament. Mondlane’s party, Podemos, won 31 seats, and Renamo only got 20. Frelimo also won all the provincial elections.
Outgoing President Nyusi celebrated the results on television, saying, “With more than 70% of the votes, I don’t see any teacher failing a student,” in reference to Chapo’s big win.
The election was seen as a crucial moment for Mozambique, a country with plenty of natural resources but facing big problems like corruption, poverty, and economic struggles. Mondlane, however, called for a national strike to protest what he called a rigged election, citing the recent killings of his lawyer and a party official as politically motivated.
BBC added that Mondlane has until December to legally challenge the results, and he has already organized protests that were met with police using live bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds.
The EU also criticized the election, saying some results seemed altered, and their observers noted irregularities during vote counting.
Political analyst Adriano Nuvunga expressed concerns to the BBC, saying Mozambique continues to experience a pattern of fraudulent elections.
The electoral commission has yet to respond to the vote-rigging claims, as reported by Reuters. Chapo will officially take office in January, according to BBC.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14lzy75355o