Mozambicans are heading to the polls to cast their votes in what could be the country’s first president since independence from the Portuguese colony in 1975.
On Wednesday, about 17 million people out of a population of 32 million will be eligible to vote in the coastal, resource-rich southern African country. Parliamentary and state elections in 11 states will be held simultaneously.
Filipe Nyusi, 65, president of the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), will resign after eight years in office.
He could be the last Frelimo pro-independence fighter turned president who was on the front lines of a brutal war of liberation in which thousands of Mozambicans were killed.
Mr Nyusi’s presidency has been tainted by the huge “tuna bond” corruption scandal (2013-2016), which has seen high-ranking Frelimo members, including a former finance minister, convicted in the US in August. was imprisoned. Several of the politicians involved were found to have accepted bribes to arrange secret loan guarantees for government-controlled fishing companies.
Voters are divided by promises of change from competing candidates. At the same time, some older Mozambicans are less enthusiastic about a changing of the old guard.
But many of the country’s young people say they are tired of the old system and want more jobs and security amid high levels of poverty and armed conflict in the north.
Here’s what you need to know about the election.
Who is running?
The four approved presidential candidates are:
Presidential candidate Daniel Chapo of the ruling Mozambican Liberation Front (Frelimo) speaks at the closing rally on the final day of the campaign in Machaba (Marco Longari/AFP)
Daniel Chapo, 47 years old
Analysts say the novice politician is the favorite to win the election as he capitalizes on the strength of Frelimo’s incumbency. Chapo only entered politics in 2011, but quickly rose through the ranks after serving as governor of the southern coastal city of Inhambane, becoming president of Frelimo in May 2024. The politician claims that experience gives him an advantage over his competitors.
During the six-week campaign that officially ended on Sunday, Chapo distanced himself from Frelimo’s image of corruption. He also promised that peace would be restored to Cabo Delgado province, which has been affected by years of armed conflict.
Chapo traveled to neighboring South Africa in September to appeal to the large number of Mozambicans there who can vote abroad. He also met with top leaders of South Africa’s main political party, the African National Congress (ANC). Frelimo and the ANC consider each other to be allies based on their history of liberation struggles.
But analysts say many voters, especially young people, are having a hard time weaning Chapo away from the corruption and graft that has characterized Frelimo’s 49 years in power. In some parts of the country, Frelimo is so hated by party members that it is booed at election campaigns. Some agree that the party will probably win, but perhaps by fraud. Opposition parties are already claiming that there are “ghost” voters on the electoral roll.
Mozambican National Resistance Movement (Renamo) opposition presidential candidate Ossufo Momade greets supporters from his car on the final day of the campaign in Maputo (Alfredo Zuniga/AFP)
Osufo Momade, 63 years old
Momade is the leader of the opposition Mozambican National Resistance Movement (Renamo), but his party only holds 60 of the 250 seats in parliament and a handful of seats in 65 municipalities.
In contrast to Chapo, Momade fought in Mozambique’s civil war (1977-1992), during which Frelimo faced former rebel groups such as Renamo, which later became a political party, and is still part of the old guard.
Momade’s age has not diminished his appeal among Renamo supporters in areas such as northern Nampula. The politician is still hailed as the Renamo leader who signed the peace agreement that ended Renamo’s post-civil war rebellion (2013-2018) in 2019.
Opposition leaders ran for president in the 2019 elections, but received only 21% of the vote, compared to President Nyusi’s 73%. Momad disputed the results and, like European Union observers, claimed the election was fraudulent. Renamo officials also criticized local elections in October 2023, in which Frelimo won in almost all regions.
Venancio Mondlane, 50 years old
The charismatic Mondlane, known as VM7, has a strong base among young Mozambicans, two-thirds of whom are under the age of 25.
Mondlane, a former Renamo member of Mozambique’s lower house of parliament, ran unsuccessfully on the same platform in the 2023 mayoral race of Maputo. However, Momade left Renamo because he did not resign.
Mondlane is running as an independent candidate and is backed by the Coalition for Democracy (CAD), a coalition of nine political groups. Many young Mozambicans have argued in social media posts that Mondlane is the only one who can guarantee change in the country. The excitement around him has some analysts worried about post-election violence, which is common in Mozambique.
Mondlane similarly pledged to end violence in Cabo Delgado, create jobs and strengthen the health system.
Venancio Mondlane gestures to supporters in Maputo (File: Alfredo Zuniga/AFP)
Lutero Simango, 64 years old
Simango, leader of Mozambique’s third-largest political party, the Mozambican Democratic Movement (MDM), has made campaign promises to ensure that natural resources such as wood are processed domestically rather than exported, and to build factories to increase employment for young people. is focused on.
How big is the election?
In addition to voting for a new president, voters also choose to:
250 members of Congress, some governors and officials from 11 states
What are the important issues?
Almost all candidates focus on three main issues:
Armed conflict in Cabo Delgado
A major concern for many Mozambicans is the armed conflict between ISIL and Mozambique in the gas-rich northern province of Cabo Delgado.
In 2017, a local militant group called al-Shabaab (unrelated to Somalia’s armed group of the same name) began brutally attacking locals, beheading them and destroying businesses and infrastructure.
In 2020, when fighter jets overran the town of Mocimboa da Praia, the airstrip and port were destroyed. The town is home to a multibillion-dollar gas project led by French energy company Total and American company ExxonMobil. Since then, hundreds of people have been killed and 1.3 million people have been displaced.
The group officially merged with the ISIL (or ISIS) group in May 2022. Thousands of troops from Rwanda and the regional Southern African Development Community have been deployed to the region since July 2021. They have recovered territory and allowed some residents to return, but analysts say: The military has been unable to take control of these areas and fighters are regrouping. Approximately 100,000 people were newly evacuated.
Frelimo’s Chapo said he would continue to carry out ground attacks while holding talks with the fighters, a unique strategy to date.
Creating jobs and revitalizing the economy
Two-thirds of Mozambique’s population is under the age of 25, but many do not have a job as the country faces high levels of unemployment and poverty.
According to the World Bank, the number of people living in poverty has increased from 13 million to 18 million due to the COVID-19 shock. This is despite the country having vast natural gas, graphite, gold resources and sandy beaches that attract tourists.
Corruption further depletes resources. The “tuna bond” scandal cost the country $2 billion in “hidden debt” that led to a financial crisis after officials plundered loans and triggered a financial crisis after the International Monetary Fund temporarily suspended financial support in 2016. gave.
Resilience to climate change
All major presidential candidates have mentioned a focus on development issues and solving the hunger crisis.
Mozambique’s vulnerability to climate change is exacerbating persistent hunger. According to the World Food Program, approximately 1.3 million people in the country are facing severe food shortages due to drought caused by rising temperatures caused by the El Niño phenomenon.
In 2019, Mozambique was affected by Hurricane Idai in March and Hurricane Kenneth in April. More than 1,500 people died.
When will the results be announced?
Votes will begin counting immediately after voting closes on Wednesday, with some results announced once they are tallied.
The Central Election Commission will announce the official tally in 15 days. The dissenting party can then appeal to the Constitutional Council, which will decide its merits.
