Some ready for change with Mozambique elections, others want continuity

The Frelimo party has ruled Mozambique since its independence from Portugal in 1975. Argentina Bebe, 69, is among those who say the country, located in southern Africa, is doing fine under a dominant political party. She said she is too old for change and wants continuity to emerge from the general elections slated for Wednesday.

“I'm not interested in change. … I already know the people … but I prefer to continue the improvement of Mozambique,” she said.

Others, like 34-year-old vendor Ana Marcelino, say life today in Mozambique is too expensive for her and her family.

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“Food and eating are very difficult,’’ she told VOA at a vibrant market in Maputo, the port city that is the nation’s capital, with a metropolitan area of more than 2.5 million people.

‘’Studying is difficult for children,’’ Marcelino said. ‘’We, the mothers, we leave the house from morning until now. We're here on the street. We don't leave anything at home.”

For 28-year-old Ernesto Cremildo Castigo, change is needed.

“Mainly due to corruption,” said Castigo, who works at a butcher shop. “So that Mozambique can develop. So that society can feel more at ease. In terms of justice, in terms of education, in terms of public transportation.”

Aslak Ore, researcher at the Christian Michelsen Institute in Norway, has been studying Mozambique for 25 years. He said corruption negatively impacts the daily lives of ordinary people.

“You have everyday corruption, where people need civil services, and they have to pay little bribes to get services out of their state or municipal institutions; that complicates things a bit,” Ore told VOA.

Four candidates are vying for the presidency including Daniel Chapo, the choice for the ruling Frelimo party. The 47-year-old former radio presenter told supporters at a recent rally that peace and security will be top priorities if he is elected.

“Because without peace, without security, there is no development,’’ Chapo said. ‘’As I said here, we have our brothers who are suffering from terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado.”

The government has been battling an insurgency in the gas- and oil-rich Cabo Delgado province, affecting multibillion-dollar oil and gas projects. Some 4,000 people reportedly have been killed in the violence and about 1 million displaced since 2017.

Meanwhile, analysts say one of Frelimo’s biggest accomplishments has been ending years of its brutal war with the Mozambican National Resistance movement or Renamo.

Opposition: Momade, Simango, Mondlane

Renamo has become one of the main opposition parties. It came in second place in the last presidential election. After the death in 2018 of longtime leader Afonso Dlakhama, its newest leader, Ossufo Momade, accuses the Frelimo party of lacking proposals to solve the common problems of ordinary citizens.

“Vote for you to have jobs tomorrow, so we have good access roads. Did you hear me right? Your land is a rich area. You are poor. It's through Frelimo's poor governance,” Momade told supporters at a recent rally.

The other two candidates are Lutero Simango, the 64-year-old leader of the Mozambique Democratic Movement, and 50-year-old Venancio Mondlane, an independent who formerly belonged to the Renamo party and seems popular among the youth, analysts say.

Adriano Nuvunga, a social activist and director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Mozambique, said the elections might lead to some surprises.

“For the very first time, Frelimo is not guaranteed it will retain the presidency because people [are] looking at Venancio Mondlane as someone who can ... not bring a magic solution, but [he can] at least associate with the suffering of the people, identify with the sentiment of the population, and articulate the interest and, hopefully, what can bring the change.”

Ore says, however, that it is unclear how fair the election process, including vote counting, will be.

Nuvunga said some potential voters don’t trust the ballot they cast will make a difference.

The National Electoral Commission met with about 412 international observers Friday to explain the voting system and answer their questions. The commission chairperson Carlos Simão Matsinhe assured them that every vote will count.

“The counting system is participatory because all the political parties are represented in the polling stations, so every vote is going to count, and we just hope for the best,” Matsinhe told VOA after the election commission’s briefing.

He also said that all voting materials should be in place by Monday and voting is expected to take place across the country including in Cabo Delgado.

More than 17 million people have registered to vote, which is three million more than the last election in 2019.