Frelimo members will be presiding officers of most polling stations in Matola
The opposition will play on a tilted playing field in Matola. The presidents, vice-presidents, secretaries and 4th scrutineers of the polling stations - all decision-making positions - come from Frelimo, according to Frelimo's clandestine list of polling station members in Matola.
The 55-page list (except below) shows that the presidents of the polling stations are school teachers, civil servants from provincial directorates and members of Frelimo party zone committees. For example, the presiding officer of one of the EPC 24 de Julho polling stations is an official in the office of Governor Júlio Paruque, now Frelimo's candidate for mayor in Matola. There are also many heads of departments, offices and secretariats who are subordinate to the Maputo provincial government. There are also many members of
The list includes the names of the schools where the polling stations will operate, the electoral roll numbers, the position each member will occupy, their full name, where they come from and their contact details. The names of the polling station presidents are clearly labelled.
Of the seven members of the polling station, three are named by the political parties in parliament - Frelimo, Renamo, and MDM. But the remaining four members were appointed due to party influence, as the list shows.
Dozens injured on the last day of campaigning in Nacala, Cuamba and Metangula
Violence, gunfire and tear gas characterised the last day of campaigning in the municipalities of Nacala-Porto, Cuamba and Metangula. Just over a dozen people were injured, some of them seriously.
In Nacala, six people were hospitalised as a result of skirmishes, stoning and tear gas throwing involving Frelimo and Renamo supporters, which forced the police to resort to force.
The violence erupted when members of the two parties crossed paths in Heroes' Square. The parties started throwing stones. The police fired tear gas and shots, culminating in the shooting of a member of Renamo. There were also minor injuries.
Our correspondents report that Frelimo members were walking around with stones in their hands, with the justification that this was a defence against attacks from Renamo members and sympathisers who are also scattered around Heroes' Square and some strategic points in the city.
This was the second skirmish in Nacala-Porto in 24 hours. The first resulted in several injuries, all Renamo members.
Meanwhile, in Metangula, Niassa, Renamo's list leader had to be removed from the venue of the campaign's closing concert during clashes between the two main political parties. The police fired shots, resulting in serious injuries.
One of the victims says that the police fired at him as he was helping the Renamo list leader to leave the venue, because there was no longer a climate of security.
A nurse at the Metangula health centre confirms that four patients have been admitted as a result of police gunfire, but says that the victims' lives are not at risk. A police officer was also wounded during the shooting.
In Cuamba, Renamo sympathisers vandalised a house and destroyed mattresses and clothes for allegedly housing potential Frelimo voters from other districts.
Peaceful campaign marred by only few incidents
The 13-day electoral campaign passed largely peacefully and in good spirits. Of course there were incidents, but they seem fewer and more minor than in past elections, when a few people were killed.
This was a campaign in which the two biggest parties, Frelimo and Renamo, tried to show their power with large parades of supporters in party t-shirts. Inevitably, parades met, largely without incident except for name-calling. There were a few punch-ups and the odd stone throwing, and Renamo headquarters in two places were burned, but serious incidents were uncommon in most of the 65 municipalities.
Notable in this campaign was police neutrality, for example stopping the few small fights between opposing party supporters with balance and without taking sides, and rerouting opposing processions. Again, not everywhere, but in nearly all of the 65 municipalities.
However Mozambique has not developed an acceptance of opposition parties in a multi-party democracy. It is considered normal to tear down posters of other parties, for example.
It is normal across the world that the governing party has extra power to gain publicity in elections. But Frelimo is widely seen as misusing that power, for example taking teachers out of school to participate in Frelimo parades, and illegally using government cars in its campaign. More obvious in this election has been a message that there is no space for opposition parties, implicitly questioning the multi-party system.
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The real concern is what happened before the campaign. There is major evidence of the government party manipulating the registration process, notably registering Frelimo supporters first and then saying the registration computers did not work when opposition supporters tried to register. And there is growing evidence of later tampering with the registers.
So Mozambicans will vote on Wednesday after a calm campaign but with a voters register which is not trustworthy.
Promising jobs for all
Candidates have been making impossible promises, but the Frelimo candidate for mayor of Ilha da Moçambique has probably made the biggest one. He told a rally Sunday that if he is elected he will employ all young people, build football pitches, give revolving credit, collect solid waste and rehabilitate the city.
