Ossufo Momade loses two "duels" against Venâncio Mondlane

The first two positions on the ballot will be occupied by Lutero Simango, from the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), who has been notably absent from the pre-campaign, and Daniel Chapo, from Frelimo.

Positioning on the ballot is crucial in a country like Mozambique, where voting is not always rational. Some argue that the last position is a disadvantageous spot, and in this regard, in a direct comparison between Ossufo Momade and Venâncio Mondlane, the CAD candidate theoretically gains an advantage.

This positioning also precedes a Constitutional Council ruling that rejected an appeal by Ossufo Momade, in which he contested the CAD symbol used by Venâncio Mondlane in his presidential candidacy.

The Renamo leader disagrees with the coalition and its candidate using a bird as a party and electoral symbol. He argues that this act aims to confuse the electorate and steal votes from Renamo and its candidate.

On June 14, Ossufo Momade filed a request with the Constitutional Council, as evidenced by the judges' ruling, to contest Venâncio Mondlane's campaign symbol, arguing that the dove is similar to a partridge.

"The symbol of candidate Venâncio Mondlane is a bird, specifically a dove, which, upon proper analysis, can lead to irreparable confusion among the electorate at the time of voting, as the symbol of the applicant is also a bird, specifically a partridge (...)," states the Constitutional ruling.

The document further indicates: "And not only that: the symbols of the CAD and candidate Venâncio Mondlane are more recent, suggesting that they were adopted with the aim of stealing votes from Renamo and its candidate, because, as is known, when saying 'vote for the bird,' even if the species is specified, it may be difficult to identify which bird is being referred to at the moment of voting," reads the CC ruling.

It should be noted that the Constitutional Council received a total of 11 presidential candidacies and rejected seven for not meeting the necessary requirements.

Among the issues found in the rejected candidacies were forms without any signatures, signatures without voter card numbers, lack of notarisation, and evidence that they were signed by the same person instead of multiple proposing voters.

The presidential elections will be held simultaneously with legislative elections and elections for governors and provincial assemblies. Given the public friction between the presidential candidates from Renamo and CAD, a fierce electoral campaign is anticipated.