Maputo — Lutero Simango, leader of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), will occupy the top place on the ballot paper for the presidential election scheduled for 9 October.
The Constitutional Council, Mozambique's highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law, organized the drawing of lots for places on the ballot paper on Wednesday morning, at a ceremony attended by party representatives, journalists and observers, and broadcast live by Mozambican television stations.
The Council's chairperson, Lucia Ribeiro, drew Simango's name for the first slot on the ballot paper. In second place will be Daniel Chapo, the candidate of the ruling Frelimo Party, while occupying the third position will be Venancio Mondlane, who is supported by the Democratic Alliance Coalition (CAD). The name of Ossufo Momade, leader of the main opposition party, Renamo, was drawn for bottom position on the ballot paper.
Thus the four candidates will be arranged on the October ballot paper as follows:
1. Lutero Simango (MDM); 2. Daniel Chapo (Frelimo); 3. Venancio Mondlane (CAD); 4. Ossufo Momade (Renamo).
Seven other people submitted nomination papers for the presidency, but were rejected by the Constitutional Council because none of them could produce the required minimum of at least 10,000 valid supporting signatures from registered voters.
Some of them simply presented fewer than the minimum required, while others produced lists of signatures that were riddled with fraud. The Council said that some were obviously copies of names or voter card numbers taken from the electoral roll, with forged signatures.
Others had clearly been written and signed by the same person. Some had no signature at all, or no voter card number, and some had not been recognized by a notary.
Renamo has expressed some alarm at the appearance of Mondlane as a presidential candidate. He was the most prominent public face of Renamo during last year's municipal elections, in which he was the Renamo candidate for mayor of Maputo.
Mondlane led the marches against the election results declared by the National Elections Commission (CNE), but Momade was notably absent from these protests.
Mondlane then attempted to challenge Momade for the leadership of Renamo at the party's Congress, held in mid-May in the central municipality of Alto Molocue. But the leadership used the police to prevent Mondlane from entering the tent where the Congress was held.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Mondlane reacted by resigning from Renamo and organizing a team of young supporters to collect the signatures he needed for his presidential bid.
Momade urged the Constitutional Council to declare illegitimate the symbol chosen by CAD, which is a pigeon. Momade argues that this could be confused with the Renamo symbol of a partridge, and this might lead to "irreparable confusion' in the minds of the electorate.
But Momade had jumped the gun: the Council rejected his appeal last week on the grounds that it was still considering the paperwork of all the presidential hopefuls.
CAD was set up in 2018 by the human rights activist, the late Alice Mabota. It is a coalition of tiny extra-parliamentary parties, none of which have representatives in any provincial or municipal assembly, let alone in the national parliament, the Assembly of the Republic.
Currently, the following six parties are members of CAD:
1. The Democratic Alliance and Social Renewal Party (PADRES); 2. The Liberal Party of Mozambique (PALMO); 3. The National Democratic Party (PANADE); 4. The Party of all the Nationalists of Mozambique (PARTONAMO); 5. The National Democratic Party of Mozambique (PDNM); 6. The Democratic Renewal Party (PRD).
Two other minor parties were once members of CAD, but left in 2018, namely the United Congress of Democrats (CDU) and the Ecology Party (PEMO).
