Mozambique’s National Electoral Commission (CNE) expects to receive on Wednesday, 16 October, in Maputo, the data from the provincial tabulation of the general elections held on 9 October throughout the country.
‘The data should arrive today with the chairmen of the provincial commissions,’ said Paulo Cuinica, spokesman for the CNE, quoted by the Lusa news agency.
He recalled that the figures published in recent days show that presidential candidate Daniel Chapo and the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo) won in most constituencies such as Nampula (the country’s largest), Cabo Delgado, Manica and Maputo city.
Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane was announced as the winner of the election in Beira, Sofala province, the country’s third largest city, while the Podemos party, which supports him, emerged in some constituencies as the second most voted for in the legislative elections.
According to Mozambican electoral legislation, the district election commissions had three days after the polls closed to complete the tabulation of the 154 Mozambican districts, while the provincial election commissions had up to five days (deadline of Monday 14 October) to complete the intermediate tabulation.
Wednesday’s general elections included the seventh presidential elections – for which the current head of state, Filipe Nyusi, who has reached the constitutional limit of two terms, did not run – at the same time as the seventh legislative elections and the fourth elections for provincial assemblies and governors.
Running in this election for the Presidency of the Republic are Lutero Simango, supported by the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM, the third largest parliamentary force), Daniel Chapo, with the support of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, in power since 1975), Venâncio Mondlane, supported by the extra-parliamentary Podemos party, and Ossufo Momade, with the support of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo, the largest opposition party).
The publication of the presidential election results by the National Electoral Commission, if there is no second round, takes up to 15 days, before they are validated by the Constitutional Council, which has no deadlines for proclaiming the official results after analysing any appeals.
The vote included legislative seats (250 deputies) and seats for provincial assemblies and their respective provincial governors, in this case with 794 mandates to be distributed. The CNE approved lists of 35 political parties running for the Assembly of the Republic and 14 political parties and groups of voting citizens for the provincial assemblies.
