Frelimo at top of ballot paper

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Frelimo at top of ballot paper

6:14 CAT | 28 Aug 2018

Photo: @derciotsandzana

Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo Party will be at the top of the ballot paper for the municipal elections scheduled for 10 October.

The order of the parties on the ballot paper was decided by lot at a ceremony organised on Tuesday by the National Elections Commission (CNE) at the Maputo premises of the national lottery company.

By law, the first spots on the ballot paper go to the parties that are presenting candidates in all 53 municipalities. Only three parties have this capacity – Frelimo, which won top spot, the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), in second position, and the former rebel movement Renamo, which is in the third slot.

All three of the main parties recognised that the drawing of lots was fair and transparent. They added that the position on the ballot paper is no guarantee of victory.

However, the Frelimo representative at the ceremony, Alcido Nguenha, was clearly delighted at the result. “We are convinced that number one means blessing, glory and triumph”, he said.

The Renamo election agent, Andre Magibire, said he was not worried by his party’s position on the ballot paper. “Victory is determined by what comes at the end, not the beginning”, he said. “We start as number three on the ballot paper, but we shall work to ensure that at the end, we come first”.

Source: AIM