Good morning. Renamo has done better than ever before at municipal elections - yet they’re still complaining. Why? Because they still believe they’ve been robbed.
The most egregious example is probably in Moatize, where some 1,400 Renamo votes mysteriously disappeared in a secretive recount - allowing Frelimo to win by 97 votes. A similar thing has happened in Alto Molócuè, where an apparent Renamo win has been overturned in murky circumstances by the electoral authorities.
FREE TO READ: Journalist in hiding after revealing Frelimo fraud in Moatize election
Evidence is also emerging of electoral fraud in Matola, Mozambique’s biggest city, where Frelimo has been awarded a win by a margin of 0.77%.
However many municipalities the opposition gets - which looks like a minimum of seven for Renamo, plus Beira for the MDM (though we’re still, mysteriously, waiting for a result from there) - it is progress towards political pluralism in Mozambique. But progress isn’t enough. Mozambicans were promised democracy 26 years ago, and they still haven’t got it.
Renamo’s interim leader Ossufo Momade will be under strong pressure from his own side not to move ahead with the process of demilitarisation, disarmament, and reintegration, which is due to get underway in the coming weeks. The current peace process is hanging by a thread, and how these dodgy electoral results are dealt with will have repercussions far beyond the disputed municipalities themselves.
The town of Moatize was already in the news last week, as we reported that a shutdown at Vale’s second mine there is still ongoing. Today marks the 12th day of the shutdown caused by trespassers from the community, sick of the pollution, loss of land, and explosions that are causing their houses to fall down.
SEE: Vale mine shut-down continues following community ‘invasion’
Sasol is hoping that a $40 million donation to help Mozambique use its gas will smooth over differences with the government. Most of the money is going to a power plant which is 49%-owned by the South African petrochemicals company.
SEE: Sasol donates $40m to Mozambique ahead of new contract signing
More normal service will be resumed this week, but our Live Blog on election developments continues. Follow it on Telegram, or on our website via the link below.
FREE TO READ: Mozambique Politics Live Blog
Have a great week.