2019 Mozambican general election

General elections were held in Mozambique on 15 October 2019.[1][2][3] The elections were marked by assassinations and significant intimidation of prominent leaders of opposition parties and election observers.[4][5] Local elections observers, civil society organizations, the Commonwealth Observer Group, the European Union Election Observation Mission, and several national and international entities classified the elections as rigged.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] State resources, media, and aid for cyclone victims were extensively used in favour of the ruling party (FRELIMO) and its candidates.[8][9] Nevertheless, the incumbent president Filipe Nyusi of FRELIMO was declared re-elected with 73% of the vote. The main opposition party RENAMO as well as the other oppositions parties involved in the elections contested the results, claiming there were numerous irregularities, and accusing FRELIMO of "massive electoral fraud", including hundreds of thousands of "ghost voters".[13] As evidence for the international community, Ossufo Momade, the president of the main opposition party RENAMO, transported to Europe a box filled with vote ballots that had been marked in favor of the incumbent president Filipe Nyusi of FRELIMO before the commencement of vote.[14][15][16] The international community ignored the extensive evidence of fraud, and gradually countries started recognizing the incumbent president Filipe Nyusi of FRELIMO as the winner of the elections[17]

2019 Mozambican general election

15 October 2019
Turnout	51.84% 2.81 pp
Presidential election
Nominee Filipe Nyusi Ossufo Momade Party FRELIMO RENAMO Popular vote 4,639,172 1,356,786 Percentage 73.46% 21.48%
Presidential election results by province
Parliamentary election
Party Leader % Seats ± FRELIMO Filipe Nyusi 71.28 184 +40 RENAMO Ossufo Momade 22.28 60 -29 MDM Daviz Simango 4.19 6 -11 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
President before President after Filipe Nyusi FRELIMO Filipe Nyusi FRELIMO

Electoral system

The President of Mozambique was elected using the two-round system.[18] The 250 members of the Assembly of the Republic were elected by proportional representation in eleven multi-member constituencies based on the country's provinces and on a first-past-the-post basis from two single-member constituencies representing Mozambican citizens in Africa and Europe. Seats in the multi-member constituencies were allocated using the D'Hondt method.[19]

Candidates

On 16 January 2019, the main opposition party RENAMO held a congress at which Ossufo Momade was elected as the party's new leader and presidential candidate.[20] Momade had been the party's interim president following the death of Afonso Dhlakama in May 2018 and was seen as a "unifying leader" that could bring the political and military sector of RENAMO closer.[21]

The ruling FRELIMO held its congress on 6 May, at which it confirmed its decision to support the re-election of President Filipe Nyussi for a second and final term.

On 9 May and following a three-day congress, the Democratic Movement of Mozambique confirmed that its presidential candidate would be Daviz Simango, mayor of Beira since 2003. Simango was a presidential candidate in the two previous general elections.[22]

On 31 July the Constitutional Council approved four candidates; Nyussi, Momade, Simango and Mário Albino. Two candidates were disqualified; Hélder Mendoça and Alice Mabota. Mabota would have been the first woman to run for president, but failed to collect enough signatures.[23]

FRELIMO nominated Mércia Viriato Licá as one of their candidates. She was elected and became the youngest MP in the country's history.[24]

Results

President

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Filipe Nyusi	FRELIMO	4,639,172	73.46
	Ossufo Momade	RENAMO	1,356,786	21.48
	Daviz Simango	MDM	273,599	4.33
	Mário Albino	AMUSI	46,048	0.73
Total			6,315,605	100.00
Valid votes			6,315,605	92.55
Invalid/blank votes			508,321	7.45
Total votes			6,823,926	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			13,162,321	51.84
Source: EISA

Assembly

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	FRELIMO	4,323,298	71.28	184	+40
	RENAMO	1,351,659	22.28	60	–29
	Democratic Movement of Mozambique	254,290	4.19	6	–11
	Action Party of the United Movement for Integral Salvation	27,277	0.45	0	New
	New Democracy	25,046	0.41	0	New
	Union for Change	8,347	0.14	0	0
	Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique	6,768	0.11	0	New
	National Reconciliation Party	6,469	0.11	0	0
	Patriotic Movement for Democracy	5,883	0.10	0	0
	Union for Reconciliation Party	5,399	0.09	0	0
	Greens Party of Mozambique	5,361	0.09	0	0
	Labour Party	5,173	0.09	0	0
	National Party of the Mozambican People/CRD	4,143	0.07	0	New
	Youth Movement for the Restoration of Democracy	4,054	0.07	0	0
	National Movement for the Recovery of Mozambican Unity	3,820	0.06	0	0
	Electoral Union	3,769	0.06	0	0
	Mozambique People's Progress Party	3,431	0.06	0	0
	Social Renewal Party	3,365	0.06	0	0
	Ecological Party of Mozambique	3,313	0.05	0	New
	Party of Freedom and Development	2,868	0.05	0	0
	Democratic Unity	2,720	0.04	0	New
	Ecological Party–Land Movement	2,579	0.04	0	0
	Democratic Justice Party of Mozambique	2,036	0.03	0	New
	Social Broadening Party of Mozambique	2,006	0.03	0	0
	National Workers and Peasants Party	1,783	0.03	0	0
	Democratic Union of Mozambique	664	0.01	0	New
Total		6,065,521	100.00	250	0
Valid votes		6,065,521	89.64
Invalid/blank votes		700,895	10.36
Total votes		6,766,416	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		13,162,321	51.41
Source: STAE

Provincial elections

Province	Seats
	FRELIMO	RENAMO	MDM
Cabo Delgado Province	66	16	0
Gaza Province	81	1	0
Inhambane Province	54	6	0
Manica Province	63	17	0
Maputo Province	61	18	2
Nampula Province	63	31	0
Niassa Province	46	14	0
Sofala Province	60	13	8
Tete Province	65	17	0
Zambezia Province	69	23	0
Total	628	156	10
Source: STAE

References

1. "Africa Top10 News". 2019-10-15.
2. "UPDATE 5-Mozambique president urges peace, opposition warns against fraud as votes counted".
3. Mozambique sets October 2019 for general elections News24, 11 April 2018
4. "Mozambique election observer killed by 'elite police' in drive-by shooting". BBC News. 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
5. SAPO. "Eleições moçambicanas marcadas por "irregularidades" de fraude e intimidação, dizem EUA". SAPO Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-28.
6. Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "ONG moçambicana acusa órgão eleitoral de manipulação do recenseamento | DW | 03.06.2019". DW.COM. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
7. Hanlon, cls-1{fill:#fffffc;} cls-2{fill:#11161a;}profile-placeholderBy: Joseph; Eliseeva, Illustrator: Anastasya; Analysis (2020-08-24). "Isis is not driving the Cabo Delgado war". New Frame. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
8. Commonwealth Observer Group (2020). Mozambique presidential, National & Provincial Assembly Elections 15 October 2019. https://thecommonwealth.org/sites/default/files/inline/Mozambique%202019%20COG%20Report_0.pdf: The Commonwealth.CS1 maint: location (link)
9. European Union Election Observation Mission Mozambique 2009 Final Report (2020). General and Provincial Elections 15 October 2019. http://www.epgencms.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/upload/83ba3820-1453-469d-9597-466e4fcc0a19/Mozambique_general&provincial-elections__15-October-2019_EOM_final_report(EN).pdf: European Union.CS1 maint: location (link)
10. "Governo de Moçambique não soube reagir ao alerta de desastre do Ciclone Idai". Brasil de Fato (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-28.
11. "Moçambique: Após pleito marcado por denúncias de fraude, apuração pode durar 15 dias". RFI (in Portuguese). 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
12. SAPO. "Eleições moçambicanas marcadas por "irregularidades" de fraude e intimidação, dizem EUA". SAPO Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-28.
13. "Mozambique opposition files suit against "massive electoral fraud"". france24.com. AFP. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
14. Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Na Europa, Ossufo Momade busca apoio para contestar resultados das eleições moçambicanas | DW | 07.12.2019". DW.COM. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
15. "Gerais: Momade mostra evidências de fraude e avisa "é isto que provocou as hostilidades militares" – zambeze" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-28.
16. Redacção. "Ossufo pede "socorro" na Europa". Carta de Moçambique (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-28.
17. "França reconhece vitória de Nyusi apesar das "irregularidades e más práticas" detectadas pelos observadores europeus – Verdade". Retrieved 2020-08-28.
18. Republic of Mozambique: Election for President (President) IFES
19. Electoral system IPU
20. Ossufo Momade eleito presidente no final congresso da RENAMO Deutsche Welle, 17 January 2019
21. RENAMO depois de Dhlakama: Coesão ou cisões? Deutsche Welle, 14 May 2018
22. Terceiro maior partido moçambicano confirma Daviz Simango como candidato presidencial Observador, 9 May 2019
23. Dércio Tsandzana (13 August 2019). "Who are the presidential candidates in Mozambique's October elections?". Global Voices. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
24. "Newly elected Mozambican MP who lacks upper limbs plans to focus on education". globalvoices.org. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.