MDM Archives - Jean-Jacques Cornish

Mozambique election gets regional thumbs up

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Mozambique’s election this week’s got the regional seal of approval.
But the opposition Renamo movement’s cried foul – as it has in the four previous elections – giving rise to fears of new violence.

The SADC observers to the Mozambique elections say the process was generally peaceful, transparent, free, fair and credible.
Renamo, is expected to win 60% of the vote putting former defence minister Felipe Nyusi in the driver’s seat.
The Frelimo majority’s been eroded by the breakaway Mozambique Democratic Movement.
Former rebel movement Renamo’s spokesman Antonio Muchanga says there’s the possibility of widespread electoral fraud – opening the way to resurgence of guerrilla activity undermining the country’s tourism sector and other areas of the economy as it did for two years before signing an agreement in August to return to the legitimate political fold.

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Ballot stuffing alleged in Mozambique election

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Isolated cases of ballot stuffing were reported in Mozambique’s closely contested election yesterday.

But the exercise has got the thumbs up from the regional observer mission.

Frelimo’s Filipe Nyusi, the former defence minister, looks set to hold off the former rebel group Renamo led by Afonso Dhlakama, and Daviz Simango, founder of the Mozambique Democratic Party.
South Africa’s foreign affairs chief , Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, who led an observer mission from the Southern African Development Community declared Mozambicans voted for peace, in a very peaceful, calm and efficient manner.

Opposition parties report cases of ballot stuffing in Sofala and Nampula provinces by Frelimo seeking to extend its 40 year rule of South Africa’s eastern neighbour.

European observers investigating this were denied access to at least one polling station

Counting has started but final results are no expected for a fortnight.

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Mozambique’s three-horse race

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 22:00:00 +0000

More than ten million Mozambicans are registered to vote in today’s poll which is the closest in forty years of independence.

Frelimo, that’s ruled the country for all this time, has put up a no-change candidate Felipe Nyusi who’s favoured to replace president Armando Guebuza.

Today voting is a test of the country’s stability threatened when Afonso Dhlakama went back to the bush two years ago.

He’s leading Renamo into a fifth election, and the party’s in danger of losing its official opposition status to the Movement for a Democratic Mozambique led by former Beira mayor Daviz Simango.

In such a closely contested race, watched by more than 1 000 observers at the 17 000 polling stations, it’s important that the loser should accept defeat.

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