Share

Big drop in support for Frelimo in Moz election

Maputo - Mozambique's ruling party Frelimo won the 15 October elections, though with a reduced majority, the national electoral commission announced on Thursday.

Frelimo candidate Filipe Nyusi won the presidential election with 57.3% of the vote, down from the 75% taken by his predecessor Armando Guebuza in 2009.

Afonso Dhlakama, the candidate of Frelimo's historic opponent Renamo, improved his performance to 36.6% from 16.5% in 2009. Daviz Simango from the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM) saw his share of the vote drop to 6.4% from 8.6%.

In the simultaneous parliamentary elections, Frelimo won 144 seats, down from 191 seats in the previous parliament. Renamo increased its number of seats to 89 from 51 and the MDM to 17 seats from eight seats.

Voter turnout was estimated at about 49%.

Free and fair

"The electoral process has been free and fair despite some irregularities detected here and there, but not enough to discredit the overall drive," Frelimo representative Veronica Macamo said.

But Renamo representative Andre Magibire said the elections were fraught with irregularities and that his party had filed a formal complaint with the electoral commission.

Nyusi stressed the need to preserve peace and stability amid concern that Renamo could relaunch its two-year low-level insurgency that ended with a peace deal in August.

"I take with me all the concerns of the people expressed during the rallies related to unemployment, the high cost of living and the distribution of wealth," said the president-elect, who had served as defence minister from 2008 until the elections.

The former independence movement Frelimo has governed Mozambique since its independence from Portugal in 1975. Renamo is a former anti-communist movement that waged a 16-year civil war against the initially Marxist Frelimo.

A 1993 peace deal turned Renamo into the biggest opposition party.

In 2012, Dhlakama launched a campaign of highway ambushes and attacks against police stations, accusing Frelimo of excluding the opposition from economic power.

Poverty remains widespread in Mozambique despite the economy growing at a rate of about 7% annually as offshore gas finds fuel an investment boom.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 477 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 684 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.93
+0.0%
Rand - Pound
23.90
+0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.41
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.0%
Platinum
908.05
+1.2%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE