Four more elections are to be held in SADC before the year ends.
Elections are due in Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana and Mauritius.
Touted as the biggest election year in human history, 2024 has had half of the world's population -- some 3.7 billion people having the opportunity to vote in 72 countries.
From South Africa to the South Pacific, to Europe and the Americas, the stakes were immense. Voters have had their say in local and national elections and directly impacted the political, social and economic landscape of the entire world for years to come.
SADC has so far held elections in South Africa and parliamentary elections in Madagascar with Mozambique and Botswana holding their respective elections this month. Namibia will conduct presidential elections in November, same as Mauritius, which holds its general elections a month before the year ends.
In South Africa, the election outcome led to the formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU) after a stalemate in which no party managed to garner majority votes to formulate a government.
SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2004) have over the years been the yardstick and barometer upon which elections have been held in the region.
All SADC member states formally adopted the principles which call on them to hold regular, free and fair elections. Zimbabwe held its own elections in 2023, which were largely passed as free and fair in which President Mnangagwa emerged the winner with the majority of his own parliamentary representatives dominating the legislator.
Mozambique will today elect a president and parliamentary and local government representatives.
Mozambican elections are run by the National Election Commission (CNE) comprising eight political party representatives: five appointed by the incumbent Frelimo party, two appointed by the principal or main opposition Renamo and one by the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM).
Three more members are nominated by civil society representatives, a judge appointed by the Higher Council of the Judicial Magistrature and an attorney appointed by the Higher Council of the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Four candidates are vying to succeed President Nyusi in Mozambique.
Daniel Chapo
He is the ruling Frelimo party's candidate. Frelimo has been in power since 1975 when the country got its independence from Portugal. Widely expected to emerge triumphant, Chapo is a former TV and radio presenter and also taught constitutional law at university. He entered politics as a district administrator in 2009, and most recently served as governor of the southern province of Inhambane. If he wins, Chapo will be the first post-independence president with no liberation history credentials as he was born on January 6, 1977.
Ossufo Momade
Momade is the leader of the main opposition party and former rebel movement, Renamo. Previously he ran for the presidency in the last election in 2019 and came in second with about 22 percent of the vote. There were tensions in his party during his selection as the candidate, leading to one contender to move out after being disqualified. Momade was a general for Renamo during the 16-year civil war with Frelimo that ended in 1992 and a peace deal in 2019.
Venancio Mondlane
Mondlane is a former Renamo senior official who decided to run as an independent candidate after his party disqualified him from contesting. He is regarded as a rising star and popular among the younger segment of the Mozambican electorate. Although standing as an independent, Mondlane is supported by the Democratic Alliance Coalition (CAD), which does not have a presidential candidate. Political analysts say Mondlane represents the biggest threat to Frelimo's political dominance, but his downfall would be lack of solid party backing. He once ran under Renamo for the Maputo mayoral position but lost to a Frelimo candidate.
Lutero Simango
Simango is a leader of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), the country's third-biggest party, which was founded by his late brother Daviz Simango in 2009. Although the opposition party governs some urban areas, it has never won more than 10 percent of the national vote. His brother, Daviz, once ran for president three times before he died in 2021. The current MDM presidential candidate is a long-serving parliamentarian. The downside to his bid is that his party is largely viewed as dynastic.
In Botswana, the country's High Court confirmed four presidential candidates for the country's general elections next month. Among them is incumbent President Mokgweetsi Masisi who is seeking a second and final term. Presidential candidates in Botswana are required to provide proof to the chief justice that they have the required number of supporters to be eligible to run. The High Court verified four out of five possible candidates that had the required support.
The four presidential candidates are President Masisi; Duma Boko- the leader of the opposition coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), Dumelang Saleshando of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and Mephato Reatile from the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF).
Elections in Botswana are conducted within the framework of the parliamentary system. The National Assembly, which is mostly directly elected, elects the President and some of its own members. There is what is called the Ntlo ya Dikgosi -- a mixture of appointed, hereditary and indirectly elected members.
Candidates for the National Assembly state on the ballot paper which candidate they support for President, and the President is subsequently elected by members of the National Assembly following general elections. Candidates must be nominated by at least 1 000 voters, and be at least 30 years old. Until 1974 the President had to be an elected MP.
President Mokgweetsi Masisi will be the standard-bearer for the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). His strongest challenge comes from Duma Boko of the Umbrella for the Democratic Change (UDC) coalition. Other smaller parties like the UDC and the BPF, pose less threat to the incumbent.
As of Monday, the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) had not received any nominations for independent candidates in the national elections scheduled for November 27.
ECN spokesperson, Mulauli Siluka, told local media that the commission had only received nominations from two political parties, namely Swapo and the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) party. Swapo nominated its vice president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, while AR chose its leader, Job Amupanda, as its candidate in the presidential election.
In addition, Siluka said only two parties have so far submitted their parliamentary lists: Swapo and the National Empowerment Fighting Corruption (NEFC). She said the nomination period opened on 26 September and will close on October 14 for independent candidates, and October 16 for political parties.
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The President in Namibia is elected by plurality vote to serve a five-year term and 26 members are elected by indirect vote to serve six-year terms in the National Council.
Indications are that Swapo is likely to secure a parliamentary majority in the November elections. It will be a tight Presidential race between Vice President Nandi-Ndaitwah and Job Amupanda of AR although the former is expected to form the next Government given the dominance of Swapo -- a former liberation movement that fought for the independence of Namibia.
In Mauritius, general elections are scheduled for November 10. Mauritian Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth announced the date last Friday, a day after Port Louis sealed a landmark deal to regain sovereignty over a chain of islands from Britain.
"We are heading towards another great moment in our history where every Mauritian who can vote will decide our future," said Prime Minister Jugnauth in a speech confirming the vote.
Prime Minister Jugnauth's ruling Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) is seeking re-election for a five-year term.
The country has a unicameral National Assembly comprising 62 directly elected members serving five-year terms in multi-member constituencies, and eight additional seats allocated to non-elected party candidates. The main political parties are the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), Labour Party (PTR) and the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM).
Mauritius has a population of 1.3 million and approximately 991,326 registered voters. Turnout in the last election in the 2019 parliamentary election was 77 percent. The Mauritius election will close the curtain for the 2024 election calendar in Southern Africa. It will cement the region's democratic tradition of having Governments that are a direct product of people's will.
