2023 Mozambican local elections

The 2023 Mozambican local elections were held on 11 October 2023 to elect mayors and municipal councils across the country.^[1] The results published initially by the National Election Commission (CNE) had FRELIMO winning 64 of the 65 municipalities contested, with the only city won by another party being Beira, which was won by the Democratic Movement of Mozambique.^[2] Tensions rose prior to the elections, with the police arresting members of the opposition in several cities.^[3] On October 27, after the provisional election results came out, protests broke out in several major cities such as Nampula and Maputo in reaction to alleged fraud in the election.^[4]^[5]

Conduct

The United States embassy in Mozambique acknowledged credible reports of irregularities in the elections, and called for the CNR to ensure that "votes are counted accurately and transparently."^[6] The NGO Maise Integredade, which sent over 2000 observers across the country, reported irregularities at polling stations in several municipalities, including ballot stuffing and voter intimidation.^[7]^[8] Additionally, some areas of the country reported experiencing internet shutdowns following the elections.^[9]

Several district courts in Maputo recognized irregularities at polling stations and canceled voting. Similarly, in Chókwè, Gaza Province, local courts invalidated election results, however this was overturned by the Mozambican Constitutional Counsel who claimed sole authority to validate election results.^[10] Courts in Cuamba, Niassa Province, as well as KaMpfumo, Maputo annulled the results in the elections in reaction to petitions by RENAMO.^[11]

Protests

On 27 October 2023, protests occurred throughout Mozambique after RENAMO called for nationwide demonstrations after several courts found voting irregularities.^[12]^[13] At least three people have been killed by security forces, including a 10-year-old boy in Nampula Province.^[13] Police have used tear gas on protesters in Maputo, and a 16-year-old was reported to have been shot by police in Chiúre, Cabo Delgado Province.^[14]

Results

The official final results were published by the Constitutional Court on 29 December 2023 (The number of municipalities increased from 53 in 2018 to 65 in 2023):^[15]


Party		Seats	+/–
	FRELIMO	60	16
	RENAMO	4	4
	Democratic Movement of Mozambique	1	1
Total		65	–

References

^ "Mozambicans vote in local elections". Xinhua. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
^ "Mozambique Elections: CNE announces Frelimo as winner in 64 of the 65 municipalities – Watch". clubofmozambique.com. 2023-10-26. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
^ "Mozambique Police Crack Down on Opposition Before Election Results | Human Rights Watch". 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
^ "Violent protests break out in Mozambique after local elections". Reuters. 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
^ "Renamo elogia prestação da PRM nas suas marchas na Cidade de Maputo – O País – A verdade como notícia". opais.co.mz (in Portuguese). 2023-10-24. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
^ "Embaixada dos E.U.A. Apela a Uma Resolução Justa das Irregularidades nas Eleições Autárquicas de 2023". U.S. Embassy in Mozambique (in European Portuguese). 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
^ "Comunicado sobre a votação: Eleitores impedidos de votar, boletins de votos pré-marcados, uso abusivo de voto especial, protestos nas mesas e interrupções marcaram a votação". Mais Integridade. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
^ "Eleições em Moçambique: observadores acusam Frelimo de "manipulação dos resultados"". Expresso (in Portuguese). 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
^ "A Foreboding Set of Local Elections in Mozambique". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
^ "Moçambique: Frelimo enfrenta contestação face a "megafraude" em eleições autárquicas". Esquerda (in Portuguese). 25 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
^ "Anuladas eleições autárquicas na zona nobre de Maputo". Voice of America (in Portuguese). 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
^ "Mozambique Court Annuls Vote in Parts of Capital After Protests". Bloomberg News. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Mozambique: Police Fire on Protesters". Human Rights Watch. 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
^ "Mozambique opposition denounces fraud in local election amid unrest". AfricaNews. 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
^ "Mozambique Elections: Constitutional Council gives 4 remaining municipalities to Frelimo". clubofmozambique.com. 2024-01-02. Retrieved 2024-01-11.