Mozambique Elections: Election campaign fair, without political intolerance – government

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Mozambique Elections: Election campaign fair, without political intolerance – government

3:48 CAT | 08 Oct 2024

Photo: @moeueMozambique/X

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique, Verónica Macamo, said on Tuesday that the campaign for the general elections taking place this Wednesday had been conducted fairly and without any record of political intolerance.

“We are all expectant, but we are reassured” by the fact that the campaign “took place (…) without constraints, (…) aggression, or political intolerance” Minister Macamo said after meeting representatives of the European Union (EU) and African Union (AU) observation missions.

“Overall, we believe that the campaign was fair and all political actors carried out their campaign in peace, without constraints of any kind,” she added.

Verónica Macamo took the opportunity to thank the EU for its help in the fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado, and assured the country’s commitment “to consolidating democracy” and contributing to “peace and stability in the region, on the continent and throughout the world”.

The head of the EU electoral observation mission, which included Portuguese MEPs Marta Temido and Hélder Sousa Silva, stressed the importance of the elections and reiterated the commitment to strengthening relations with Mozambique. “We believe that we share the same objective of strengthening the democratic development of Mozambique,” remarked Laura Ballarín Cereza.

The head of the AU mission, Angolan Bornito de Sousa, highlighted “the fact that these are the first elections in which there are no weapons in the hands of any party”, considering that “this is very good, it builds confidence”.

This morning, meetings were also scheduled with representatives of the missions of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) and the Commonwealth, but, due to the minister’s schedule, they were postponed until the afternoon.

Around 12,000 observers, both national and foreign, are monitoring Wednesday’s general elections in Mozambique, a source from the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) told Lusa today.

To date, 11,516 national observers and 412 international observers have been accredited to monitor these elections, including Electoral Observation Missions from the EU, the CPLP, the AU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), among other organisations.

The electoral process has been marked by some controversies.

Firstly, there have been delays by the National Electoral Commission of Mozambique in allocating funds to political parties, with the opposition talking about manoeuvres to favour the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), the ruling party.

Secondly, in August, legislation came into force eliminating the power of district courts to order a recount of votes in elections. The change was criticised by the Mozambican Association of Judges, which considered that there was a “politicisation of judicial processes” in the country.

In early September, the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), a Mozambican non-governmental organisation, accused the United States and the European Union of ignoring irregularities in the polls in Mozambique, “violations of electoral legislation” that benefit Frelimo.

Mozambique is holding its seventh presidential elections this Wednesday, simultaneously with the seventh legislative elections and the fourth for provincial assemblies and governors.

More than 17 million voters are registered to vote, including 333,839 registered abroad, according to data from the National Electoral Commission.

Running for President of the Republic are Daniel Chapo, supported by Frelimo, Ossufo Momade, supported by the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the largest opposition party, Lutero Simango, supported by the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), the third party represented in parliament, and Venâncio Mondlane, former member and former deputy of Renamo, supported by the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), without parliamentary representation.

A chefe da #moeuemozambique, @lauballarin e a delegação do @Europarl_EN , reuniram-se com a Ministra dos Negócios Estrangeiros e Cooperação (MINEC), Verónica Macamo Ndlhovo, no âmbito das audições sobre o processo eleitoral.#observadoreseleitorais #eleiçoesmoçambique pic.twitter.com/yYWLuiMSi9

— MOE UE Moçambique 2024 (@moeueMozambique) October 8, 2024