A carnival atmosphere has characterised election campaigns in Mozambique as political parties woo the electorate for votes in the 9 October general elections.
Over 14 million people have registered to vote in the polls in which Mozambicans will elect a new president, parliamentarians and provincial representatives.
More than 36 political parties are participating in the polls at different levels according to Mozambique's National Electoral Commission (CNE).
The election campaign season opened on 24 August, with political parties immediately deploying teams to the country's 11 provinces to sell their election manifestos.
In what will be the country's seventh presidential elections, four candidates have been approved to contest in the presidential election by the Constitutional Council, which is the highest body that deals with constitutional and electoral matters in Mozambique.
The presidential candidate for the governing Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo) is youthful Daniel Chapo (47), who was appointed last year to succeed incumbent, Filipe Nyusi, who is serving his second and final term as the country's leader.
For someone born two years after the country attained independence in 1975, Chapo's appointment came as a surprise to many in both Frelimo and outside the party. A holder of a law degree, who previously worked as a radio and television presenter, he joined politics in 2009 and was later appointed administrator of Nacala-a-Velha District.
He became administrator of the Palma District in 2015, before President Nyusi elevated him to the post of governor of Inhambane Province in 2016. He worked as governor until 2024 when he resigned to focus on his campaign following his selection as the governing party's candidate.
With Frelimo having won all the elections since independence in 1975, Chapo is tipped to romp to victory and would become independent Mozambique's fifth President after Samora Machel, Joaquim Chissano, Armando Guebuza and Nyusi.
The family of Mozambique's founding President, Machel, including former First Lady Graca Machel as well as Chissano have publicly backed Chapo's candidature.
One of his biggest challengers is Ossufo Momade (63) who is representing the party popularly known as Renamo (Mozambican National Resistance). Momade contested in the last polls in 2019 and lost to Nyusi, after getting 22 percent of the vote.
Lutero Simango, the leader of the second biggest opposition party, the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) and Venancio Mondlane, an independent candidate, also make up the list of presidential candidates.
The Constitutional Council rejected the candidature of seven other presidential hopefuls who failed to meet the criteria for qualification.
In kicking off the campaign window, Frelimo has held gatherings which have been attended by thousands of supporters in areas including Beira, Gorongosa, Cabo Delgado, Maputo, and Nhamatanda where Chapo is meeting with the electorate, under the banner of "Let's get to work."
In summarizing his party's preparedness for the polls, Frelimo Secretary General Roque Silva recently said, "Frelimo started preparing for the victory of the 2024 elections when the 2019 elections ended, so we are prepared and whenever we enter an election, we enter to win everything".
Renamo began its campaign trail in Maputo, Manica, Sofala and Zambezia provinces where it is preaching the gospel of change.
"Vote Renamo and General Ossufo Momade and lives will change," the party is telling the electorate.
For MDM, Simango has taken his campaign to areas such as Beira, Buzi, Mafambisse, Nhamatanda and Tica promising to improve the lives of women and youths through empowerment projects.
Mondlane, who is referred to as VM7 by his supporters, is running his campaign under the slogan "Save Mozambique." He launched his campaign in Matola, in Maputo and even took it to Johannesburg, South Africa where he is targeting support from Mozambicans based in that country and in the diaspora. He is promising tax exemptions for those intending to move their businesses to Mozambique.
To strengthen his movement, VM7 entered into an alliance with the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (PODEMOS), which is backing his candidature.
The CNE, through its chairperson, Carlos Matsinhe has called for a peaceful campaign and election period, reminding contestants that they are "compatriots and only occasional adversaries".
On its part, the electoral body, says it is working hard to ensure the polls will be free and fair, following challenges of alleged irregularities during vote tabulation and intimidation of opposition supporters faced during municipal elections held late last year.
The CNE has said it requires 19.9 billion meticals (about US$311 million) to successfully run the 9 October polls.
Besides the presidential elections, focus is also on the parliamentary elections where political parties will be seeking to cement their dominance in the 250-member national assembly.
In the last elections, Frelimo got a two-thirds majority after winning184 seats, followed by Renamo with 60 and MDM which got six.
Parliamentary candidates are elected through a proportional representation system. A party is expected to receive at least five percent of the national vote to gain representation in the national assembly.
Central to the campaigns by the political parties are issues around peace and security, investment in infrastructure, health and education and socio-economic issues such as job creation and salaries for civil servants, which have been a centre of attention following strikes held by health workers this year.
The opposition parties have also disagreed with government and Frelimo on how the challenge of terrorism and insurgency in Cabo Delgado province was handled.
Regional forces under the banner of the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique were deployed in July 2021 to restore peace and security in the province, and recently withdrew on 4 July 2024 after accomplishing their objective.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The disturbances, which put the country under the regional and global spotlight, displaced over one million people, but more than half of them have since returned to their homes since the intervention by SADC and other partners of the Mozambican government.
Even the CNE has said Cabo Delgado now has the necessary security conditions to participate in the elections, signifying the success of the campaign held by regional forces to restore peace in the province.
SADC will send a mission to observe the elections which are expected to be in line with regional standards as set out in the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
Mozambique entered its new elections cycle with municipal elections held on 11 October 2023. According to the CNE, Frelimo dominated, winning 64 out of 65 municipalities while the MDM won one.
Southern African News Features offers a reliable source of regional information and analysis on the Southern African Development Community, and is provided as a service to the SADC region.
This article may be reproduced with credit to the author and publisher.
SANF is produced by the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC), which has monitored regional developments since 1985. Email: sanf@sardc.net
Website and Virtual Library for Southern Africa www.sardc.net Knowledge for Development
