Elections 2009 Mozambique (Maputo)
29 October 2009
Initial results indicate a huge victory for Armando Guebuza, with Afonso Dhlakama in second place and Daviz Simango third. Initial results point to Guebuza with 75%, Dhlakama with 15% and Simango with 10%. But turnout is proving lower than seemed likely from the long queues yesterday morning, and could be below 45%.
As in the past, Radio Mozambique is reading out polling station results. In past elections, the total of results read out has been very close to the final results. These are widely spread across the country, although they tend to be more urban. With about 9% of the results reported, from 68 different locations, Armando Guebuza has 271,000 votes, Dhlakama 45,000 and Simango 22,000.
Not all Radio Mozambique reports include the number of polling stations, but of 400 polling stations where this was reported (3% of the total), the average number of valid votes so far is 337 per polling station. The average polling station has 770 registered voters, so the number of valid votes in running a 44% of registered voters.
The highest, so far, is Mocumba, Zambezia, with 733 valid votes per polling station, and the lowest is Gorongosa, with 136.
Initial results suggest the Daviz Simango’s party, MDM, could win seats in the four provinces in which it is standing – Maputo city, Inhambane, Niassa and Sofala.
Transport causes late opening
Three polling stations opened very late due to transport problems, STAE director Felisberto Naife told a press conference this morning.
They were in Macomia, Nangade, and Pebane. Naife also admitted that there has been problems in some places with polling stations having the wrong register books, but said this had been corrected during polling day. Our correspondents, however, report that this was not resolved everywhere, and people in a few places could not vote.
Ballot box stuffing
Evidence is already appearing that ballot box stuffing is occurring in the same places as in 2004 – in Tete and in remote areas of Gaza.
According to results read out by Radio Moçambique, in Chicualacuala, Gaza there were 3218 votes for Geubuza and none at all for Simango or Dhlakama; in Magoe, Tete, it was 4998 for Guebuza, 1 for Dhlakama, and 2 for Simango.
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