Opposition reports election fraud in Mozambique

The official results have yet to be released, but it is becoming clear that the Liberation Front of Mozambique (FRELIMO), the party in power since Mozambique's independence almost 50 years ago, and its candidate, Daniel Chapo, will win.

In the presidential race, Venancio Mondlane, one of three opposition candidates who recently left Renamo to run as an independent candidate against Renamo chairman Ossufo Momade, came in second place.

But Mondlane told DW that he was the victim of massive electoral fraud. "What we are seeing here is election rigging of the highest order," Mondlane said. "This is nothing new," he added. "We have seen this in past elections."

Official numbers indicate victory for FRELIMO, which has ruled Mozambique since independence in 1975. In the capital Maputo, 53.68% of the votes are said to have gone to Daniel Chapo, while Venâncio Mondlane received 33.84%, followed by Renamo's Ossufo Momade, with about 9%, and Lutero Simango of the MDM (Democratic Movement of Mozambique) party, with around 3%.

Representatives of the ruling party are pleased: "These are fair results that reflect the will of the people. These elections were very transparent," Frelimo's secretary in Maputo, Antonio Niquice, told DW.

In the restive northeastern region of Cabo Delgado, which has endured a bloody jihadist war since 2017, Daniel Chapo also officially won, with about 66% of the votes, followed by Venancio Mondlane (22.64%). Ossufo Momade took third place with 7.56%, and Lutero Simango finished last with just under 4%.

Observers see Renamo's support eroded

The results are particularly concerning for Renamo: its status as Mozambique's main opposition is at risk.

"Podemos, a party not yet represented in parliament that supported Venancio Mondlane's presidential candidacy, will take Renamo's place," Mozambican analyst Jaime Guiliche told DW.

Mondlane, who only left Renamo shortly before the elections, has shaken up the political landscape, the analyst added: "I think we will see a situation where Renamo is no longer the second-largest political force and will fall to third place. That would be a significant change in our country's political landscape," Guiliche said.

Opposition accuses Frelimo of election fraud

Renamo fought a bloody civil war against FRELIMO's one-party regime after independence, especially in the Zambezia province. Winning local elections here is still possible, but even in Zambezia, Frelimo is expected to win. Over the weekend Renamo demanded the vote count in eight districts of Zambezia be annulled, claiming its delegates were prevented from overseeing the process. The complaint was submitted to the relevant election commission.

Manuel de Araujo, Renamo's candidate for governor of Zambezia, set out on a "mission" through "Europe and America" this weekend to denounce what he calls electoral fraud in Mozambique's general elections.

"There was organized disorganization by the electoral authorities, who did not provide enough staff or the necessary voting materials in many polling stations," Araujo told DW. 

Thousands of Mozambicans could not vote because their names were removed from the voter rolls by the STAE (Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration), particularly in neighborhoods and districts that traditionally vote for Renamo, the Renamo politician said.

Araujo added that, in many cases, counting had to be done by candlelight because the power supply was sabotaged and cut off by Frelimo agents.

"In Quelimane, we found a folder with 117 pre-filled ballots in favor of Frelimo. When the STAE director was questioned, he claimed to know nothing about it and could not explain," Araújo said.

All of these cases have been handed over to the prosecutor's office. Araujo is calling for an independent national and international investigatiions: "As it stands now, it is not worth continuing to hold elections."

Did Zimbabwean citizens vote illegally?

Irregularities were also reported at some Mozambican diplomatic missions abroad, where Mozambicans living overseas could cast their votes. In Berlin there were massive delays and insufficient voting materials meant many Mozambicans living in Germany could not vote.

The biggest irregularity, however, allegedly occurred in Zimbabwe, Mozambique's western neighbor, where thousands of voters reportedly participated in the election without Mozambican passports. Many of these voters were allegedly urged by the ruling Zanu-PF party to vote for Frelimo's Daniel Chapo.

Newspaper New Zimbabwe reported "a significant number of Zanu-PF supporters, voted in Mozambique's general elections."

According to the Zimbabwean publication, former Zanu-PF city councilor Edison Manyawi publicly boasted about voting for "his sister party Frelimo" in Mozambique, even though it was illegal: "We are happy with what we did because Mozambique is our neighbor and helped us during the liberation struggle, so we did not hesitate. It's about helping Frelimo win these elections," New Zimbabwe quoted Manyawi.

The newspaper reported hundreds of Zimbabweans also voted in Masvingo, Chegutu, Mutare, and Harare. Young and old people were given Mozambican identification documents and real voter cards from an unspecified source and were instructed to vote for Daniel Chapo, Frelimo's presidential candidate.

The Mirror Masvingo newspaper also reported on these and other similar electoral violations related to the October 9 elections in Mozambique, providing testimonies and photographs.

As early as April, another Zimbabwean newspaper The Mirror had reported on the illegal voter registration of thousands of Zimbabwean citizens for Mozambique's elections.

Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, maintains close ties with its "sister party" Frelimo in Mozambique. Between the two parties, there is a "spirit of permanent mutual support." 

Zanu-PF has been repeatedly accused by Zimbabwean opposition parties of being involved in electoral fraud cases in neighboring countries.

Edited by: Cai Nebe