20 November 2008
Daviz Simango, mayor of the central Mozambican city of Beira, is virtually certain to win a second term of office, defeating both the ruling Frelimo Party, and the former rebel movement Renamo, from which he was expelled in September.
With results now reported from 126 of the 260 Beira polling stations, Simango has established a commanding lead of almost 20,000 votes over the Frelimo candidate, Lourenco Bulha. It looks impossible for Bulha to close that gap.
The full results from these 126 stations, as given by Radio Mozambique, are as follows:
Daviz Simango (Independent): 45,487 Lourenco Bulha (Frelimo): 26,873 Manuel Pereira (Renamo): 1,661 Antonio Romao (PPD): 1,076 Filipe Alfredo: (Independent): 244
As for the Beira municipal assembly, on the current results no party will enjoy a clear majority, and the balance of power will be held by the independent Group for Democracy in Beira (GDB). This group's strong showing is in sharp contrast with the miserable 244 votes won by its leader, Filipe Alfredo, in the mayoral election.
It seems that many Beira citizens voted for the GDB in the belief that this is the group the proposed Simango for mayor. In fact, Simango looked to a separate independent group, the Group for Reflection and Change (GRM), to nominate him for a second term.
The results for the Beira assembly election, from the same 129 polling stations, are as follows:
Frelimo: 29,077 Renamo: 24,168 GDB: 9,972 PIMO 2,206 PDD 1,623
So far Renamo has definitely lost four of the five municipalities it won in 2003 - Beira, Marromeu, Angoche and Mozambique Island. The result for the fifth, the northern port of Nacala, is still in doubt. Results have trickled in very slowly from Nacala, and there are still not enough for anyone to announce a winner.
In general, Frelimo has been winning in polling stations in the modern, central part of the city, but Renamo and its candidate, the current mayor, Manuel dos Santos, have been winning in the Nacala outlying suburbs.
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