MAPUTO, Mozambique – The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG), which has been in Mozambique for the 9 October polls, has [today] issued an interim statement calling for restraint as the country awaits election results.
The Group’s interim statement commended all Mozambicans for the peaceful manner in which they exercised their democratic right to vote, despite some security challenges, especially in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, as well as the problematic municipal elections of November 2023.
Results are yet to be released by the Mozambique National Election Commission (CNE), but speaking on the release of the COG’s interim statement in Maputo, COG chairperson, former prime minister of Saint Lucia, the Kenny Anthony, said:
“As the results process continues to progress to its finalisation, we call upon all political party leaders and their supporters to continue to show restraint and magnanimity and to continue to uphold principles of peace and tranquillity, and to prioritise national unity and stability. We hope that Mozambique will continue to draw on lessons that have been learned from the past and that successive elections will be an improvement on the previous one.
“We also call on the CNE to conduct the results announcement process with all the necessary due diligence and transparency.”
The Group’s report commended Mozambique for achieving 42 percent representation of women in the National Assembly, moving towards the 50/50 gender parity target. It states:
“Women comprised 53 percent of all registered voters. This is a welcome development. We note with encouragement that major political parties have taken steps to include women in the electoral process through the adoption of quotas.”
The Group raised concerns about stakeholder allegations of electoral malpractices, many of which were also circulating in the public domain. These alleged malpractices were similar to those identified by Commonwealth observers in 2019 and included ballot stuffing, spoiling of ballots, citizens found with unmarked and pre-marked ballot papers, registered voters with their names already struck off the register, and unregistered voters attempting to vote. The Group calls on appropriate institutions provided by law to look into these matters.
The Group will continue to follow the results process, and the full assessment of the entire process, including any recommendations for improvement, will be contained in its final report, which will be made available to the public in due course.
Related: Former Prime Minister of St Lucia to lead observer group for Mozambique’s upcoming general elections
