Mozambique’s ruling party, Frelimo, was leading in provisional results across all 11 provinces on Wednesday following the October 9 elections. However, opposition groups have cried foul, with accusations of fraud and one candidate calling for a national strike.
Frelimo’s presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, is the frontrunner in a race where the party, in power since 1975, has faced longstanding allegations of electoral manipulation—claims it denies. Final results are expected on October 24.
Independent candidate Venancio Mondlane, regarded as Chapo’s main competitor, declared himself ahead based on his own count and urged a nationwide strike on October 21. “Frelimo won’t relinquish power—they control everything from finance to resources like oil and diamonds,” Mondlane said in a social media video, calling for a halt to all activities on Monday.
Another presidential candidate, Lutero Simango of the opposition Democratic Movement of Mozambique, announced plans to challenge the results in court.
While Frelimo did not respond to immediate requests for comment, Chapo had earlier called for calm as the country awaited the final results.
International observers, including the U.S.-based International Republican Institute, reported widespread irregularities, including vote buying, inflated voter rolls in Frelimo strongholds, and limited transparency in the vote count.
“We’ve once again held elections that don’t appear to reflect the will of the people,” said Edson Cortez, director of Mozambique’s Centre for Public Integrity (CIP).
Protests broke out in the northern city of Nampula on Wednesday, according to social media videos, though Reuters could not independently verify them. Human rights groups have noted that police have used live ammunition to disperse political demonstrations in past elections.
