(Bloomberg) -- Mozambique’s electoral authorities continued collating results from Wednesday’s general election, as opposition candidate Venâncio Mondlane alleged that there were a raft of irregularities on voting day and in the counting that followed.
While local and international observer groups said the voting was largely peaceful and orderly, they too raised concerns about problems that threaten the credibility of the outcome.
The European Union Election Observation Mission said its members witnessed stacks of folded voting sheets in 10 places, “indicating possible ballot stuffing.” Sala da Paz, a local observer group, also said the process was problematic.
Initial district-level results are expected to start being announced on Saturday. Preliminary counts from some polling stations in the southern African nation indicate the ruling party is likely to win, according to state-owned Agência de Informação de Moçambique.
Mondlane might secure more than 20% of the vote, AIM said, citing tallies from an unspecified number of polling stations that require confirmation by the electoral authorities. The one-time banker and former member of the official opposition — Renamo — claimed in a livestream on Thursday that he’d won and called on his supporters to ensure his victory was upheld.
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“His supporters are unlikely to settle for second best,” said Aleix Montana, Africa Analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft. “If Mondlane falls short of securing the top job as expected, his supporters will likely take to the streets to dispute the results.”
Parties with grievances have the right to appeal to district courts or higher tribunals if they are unhappy with those rulings, and they should provide evidence of irregularities, Paulo Cuinica, a spokesman for the national electoral commission, told reporters Friday. Twenty-two people had been charged with crimes related to the elections, he added.
Asked about Mondlane’s claim to having won, Cuinica said the electoral bodies had to announce the final results.
The EU observer mission flagged that an increase in registered voters outpaced eligible population growth projections from the national statistics agency. Its members found serious problems in 79 of the 729 polling stations they visited that could affect the overall result, Laura Ballarín, head of the mission told reporters Friday in Maputo, the capital.
A Commonwealth observer group urged the authorities to look into the allegations of electoral malpractices and urged all political party leaders and their supporters to show restraint and “prioritize national unity and stability.”
Yields on Mozambique’s $900 million dollar bond due 2031 were on track for a sixth straight day of declines, edging lower to 11.88% by 5:07 p.m. in Maputo.
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--With assistance from Alister Bull and Monique Vanek.
(Updates with observer comments starting in second paragraph.)
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