Following demonstrations against what the main opposition referred to as a “mega-fraud,” a Mozambican court has reversed the results of the local elections in several areas of the capital, Maputo. All municipalities, excluding Maputo and the largest neighboring city of Matola, were taken over by the ruling party, the Frente de Libertação de Moçambique.
Non-governmental organizations in the area have also expressed disapproval of the election procedure that preceded the vote on October 11. This year’s vote is considered a major predictor of the results of the presidential election that will take place next year.
As the counting process progressed, the National Elections Commission received more reports of “irregularities” during the voting. The US also questioned the results of the poll, claiming that numerous reliable allegations of anomalies on election day and during the tabulation process had been made.
Preliminary results show that the largest opposition party, Resistência Nacional Moçambicana (Renamo), did not win a single municipality. On Tuesday, thousands of Renamo supporters protested the outcome by marching through Maputo’s streets. Tear gas was shot by police at them. Ossufo Momade, the leader of Renamo, who had referred to the elections as a “mega-fraud” during the weekend, led the demonstrators.
In addition, according to a note sent by email on Tuesday by Louw Nel, a senior political analyst at Oxford Economics Africa, “the recently concluded local elections do not bode well for next year’s general elections.” Tensions are rising in response to Renamo’s accusations that the results were rigged to weaken it and prevent the party from gaining much-needed momentum before the national elections in 2024.
However, in a recent development, Renamo’s appeal resulted in the Kampfumo Judicial Court in Maputo nullifying the local elections in this municipal area.