Mozambique votes in tense election likely to see ruling party win
Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo widely expected to win
Observers have reported vote-rigging in past elections
Winner will have to deal with Islamist insurgency and economic challenges
By Nellie Peyton and Manuel Mucari
MAPUTO, Oct 9 (Reuters) -Mozambique votes on Wednesday in a tense general election highly likely to deliver victory to the ruling party, Frelimo, which has governed the Southern African nation since 1975.
Four candidates are vying to replace President Filipe Nyusi, who is stepping down after serving two terms. The favourite is Daniel Chapo, 47, a lawyer viewed as a safe choice for business and a fresh face for the long-ruling party.
He faces Venancio Mondlane, a charismatic independent candidate who draws huge crowds, former rebel commander Ossufo Momade, and a small opposition party leader, Lutero Simango.
Dozens of posters of Chapo's face were pasted along Maputo's palm tree-lined seaside promenade, and red Frelimo flags flew over streets flanked by high rises dispersed with Portuguese colonial buildings. No opposition poster was in sight.
Poverty is the major concern of Mozambique's 35 million people, about half of them registered to vote. An Islamist insurgency in the north that has forced thousands to flee their homes and halted multi-billion dollar gas projects also weighs.
"The next president must create jobs. We are tired of hearing promises," said Amandio Sergio, 32, a small business owner in the seaside capital.
Frelimo first allowed elections in 1994 and has since been accused of rigging them, which it denies. Rebel force turned-opposition party Renamo usually comes a distant second.
Mondlane poses a challenge to both this year, but lacks the machinery of established parties and may struggle to win votes in rural areas, analyst Dercio Alfazema said.
"This election is different because we have new actors ... (but) Frelimo has a big probability to win," Alfazema said.
Chapo has experience in local government but has not been tainted by Frelimo's corruption scandals, he added.
Counting will start after the polls close at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT), although it can take up to two weeks for official results.
A disputed outcome would likely trigger protests, which broke out after Frelimo swept last year's municipal elections and were forcefully suppressed.
Apathy may dampen them, however.
"I feel it doesn't make any difference," 26-year-old fisherman Mussa Issufo said of the poll.
"Nothing ever changes."
Reporting by Nellie Peyton and Manuel Mucari; Additional reporting by Thando Hlophe and Sisipho Skweyiya
Editing by Tim Cocks and Sandra Maler
Berita Terkini
Penafian: Entiti XM Group menyediakan perkhidmatan pelaksanaan sahaja dan akses ke Kemudahan Dagangan Atas Talian, yang membolehkan sesorang melihat dan/atau menggunakan kandungan yang ada di dalam atau melalui laman web, tidak bertujuan untuk mengubah atau memperluas, juga tidak mengubah atau mengembangkannya. Akses dan penggunaan tersebut tertakluk kepada: (i) Terma dan Syarat; (ii) Amaran Risiko; dan Penafian Penuh. Oleh itu, kandungan sedemikian disediakan tidak lebih dari sekadar maklumat umum. Terutamanya, perlu diketahui bahawa kandungan Kemudahan Dagangan Atas Talian bukan permintaan, atau tawaran untuk melakukan transaksi dalam pasaran kewangan. Berdagang dalam mana-mana pasaran kewangan melibatkan tahap risiko yang besar terhadap modal anda.
Semua bahan yang diterbitkan di Kemudahan Dagangan Atas Talian kami bertujuan hanya untuk tujuan pendidikan/maklumat dan tidak mengandungi – dan tidak boleh dianggap mengandungi nasihat kewangan, cukai pelaburan atau dagangan dan cadangan, atau rekod harga dagangan kami, atau tawaran, atau permintaan untuk suatu transaksi dalam sebarang instrumen kewangan atau promosi kewangan yang tidak diminta kepada anda.
Sebarang kandungan pihak ketiga serta kandungan yang disediakan oleh XM, seperti pendapat, berita, penyelidikan, analisis, harga, maklumat lain atau pautan ke laman web pihak ketiga yang terdapat dalam laman web ini disediakan berdasarkan "seadanya" sebagai ulasan pasaran umum dan bukanlah nasihat pelaburan. Sesuai dengan apa-apa kandungan yang ditafsir sebagai penyelidikan pelaburan, anda mestilah ambil perhatian dan menerima bahawa kandungan tersebut tidak bertujuan dan tidak sediakan berdasarkan keperluan undang-undang yang direka untuk mempromosikan penyelidikan pelaburan bebas dan oleh itu, ia dianggap sebagai komunikasi pemasaran di bawah peraturan dan undang-undang yang berkaitan. SIla pastikan bahawa anda telah membaca dan memahami Notifikasi mengenai Penyelidikan Pelaburan Bukan Bebas dan Amaran Risiko mengenai maklumat di atas yang boleh diakses di sini.
