Chapo Votes in Inhambane, Urges High Turnout at Polls
Daniel Chapo, FRELIMO’s presidential candidate, cast his vote today at the Escola Primária Básica III Congresso in the city of Inhambane, southern Mozambique, urging citizens to turn out in large numbers to exercise their voting rights. Chapo was the first voter at polling station number 040176-01, which serves 800 voters. The station opened punctually at 7:00 am and is one of five voting tables at the school. Accompanied by his wife, Gueta Chapo, the voting process took less than 10 minutes for the couple. Following this, Chapo made a statement to the press, encouraging Mozambicans nationwide to head to the polls and fulfil their constitutional right to vote.
“Firstly, I would like to ask all voters to come to the polls today and exercise their right to vote, as those who will be elected also have that right,” Chapo stated after casting his vote in Inhambane.
He also called on the entire Mozambican population, especially voters, to ensure that the voting process mirrors the peaceful, orderly, and violence-free atmosphere that characterised the 43-day electoral campaign. Chapo expressed hope that the election day would be a celebratory event.
Chapo noted that today’s election coincides with the 30th anniversary of Mozambique’s multiparty democracy, with the first elections held in 1994. “From the first elections in 1994 to today, in 2024, we mark 30 years of multiparty democracy, and we could see that throughout the campaign, all Mozambicans celebrated.”
He urged calm and patience throughout the voting, counting, and results processing stages, emphasising that this period should be marked by celebration and a reaffirmation of Mozambican democracy.
“May we all reach the end of this process and be able to say these elections were free, fair, and transparent. This is our appeal to Mozambicans, from Rovuma to Maputo. We also call on our brothers and sisters in the diaspora to head to the polls and exercise their right to vote,” Chapo affirmed.
With just over a million voters, the Inhambane province is where Chapo registered to vote. As he did not qualify for a special vote and the legal deadline for transferring his vote to another city had passed, he had no choice but to vote in the electoral district where he was registered.
This marks the first time in Mozambique’s democratic history that a FRELIMO candidate has voted outside the capital.
In Inhambane, the voting process began smoothly across the 1,775 polling stations, with a total of 11,725 polling staff members, known locally as MMVs (Members of the Polling Station).
The voting process, which began today, followed a 43-day campaign period during which candidates presented their manifestos, allowing voters to make an informed choice. Over 17 million registered voters in Mozambique and abroad are expected to choose the country’s next President, who will succeed Filipe Nyusi, elected in 2014.
Four candidates are vying for the presidency: Daniel Chapo of FRELIMO; Ossufo Momade of RENAMO, the main opposition party; Lutero Simango of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), the second-largest opposition party; and Venâncio Mondlane of the Optimistic People’s Development of Mozambique (PODEMOS), an extra-parliamentary party.
A total of 37 parties and political coalitions are competing for seats in the legislature and provincial assemblies.
