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Editor: Joseph Hanlon Deputy editor: Adriano Nuvunga
Published by AWEPA, the European Parliamentarians for Africa
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In this issue:
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+ Frelimo ahead as Renamo vote collapses
+ Carter wins concessions, but not enough
+ Ballot box stuffing in Changara -- again
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Renamo vote collapses as Frelimo gains early lead on 50% turnout

Armando Guebuza is on course to gain a similar number of votes as President Joaquim Chissano won in 1999, but Afonson Dhlakama's vote has collapsed, according to early results. Turnout will be between 3.5 million and 4 million, roughly 50% of eligible voters. (Turnout should be calculated as a percentage of the 7.6 million real voters on the roll, not the 10.1 million names on the roll which includes twice everyone who has registered a second time and includes people who have died since they registered.)

The relatively low turnout, compared to 4.9 million in 1999, has been much discussed. But it looks increasingly like the lower turnout comes in large measure because many who opposed Frelimo and voted for Renamo in 1999 simply did not vote this year. Armando Guebuza spent the entire past year travelling the country and reorganising Frelimo party structures. Renamo's weak level of organisation was shown in local elections last year, when in many cities its supporters simply did not vote. The same seems to have happened this year -- Frelimo made sure that its supporters voted, but Renamo did not.

In Ilha de Moçambique, where Renamo won local elections last year, with all 39 mesas reported, Guebuza had 6037 votes compared to 5471 for Dhlakama. (In votes for mayor last year, the result was Renamo 4082, Frelimo 2543, independent 1054.) Noticias reports that in Angoche, which Renamo won last year, Guebuza is also ahead.

Radio Mozambique read out results continuously all day yesterday, as compiled by its own reporters reading the results sheets (editais) posted on the door of each polling station. Although these do not come from places which are hardest to reach, they do include many rural and Renamo-supporting areas. AIM has recorded 17% of polling stations, with Guebuza gaining 462,829 votes and Dhlakama 176,484. Dhlakama is ahead in only one province, Sofala.

Because of the unexpectedly low vote for Raul Domingos and PDD, and the derisory vote for other candidates and parties, AIM has only recorded the two main parties and candidates. It's total by provinces are given below.


Carter wins concessions from CNE on partial results but says more transparency needed

Former US President Jimmy Carter met the president and members of the National Elections Commission Friday afternoon and gained a promise that observers could see the running totals (partial results) of editais which have been put into the data bases, at both national and provincial levels. As we noted last week after the presentation of the computer software, that report was available to the system managers but was not being made available to observers. In addition, president Arao Litsure promised that at both national and local level there would be daily announcements of the totals up to that time.

Carter was as forceful with Litsure as he had been at his press briefings yesterday, but he failed to win any concessions on his key demand -- to be able to have detailed information on all the corrections made by STAE and CNE at the end of the tabulation, and to be able to examine rejected editais. He reminded Litsure that editais containing 600,000 votes had been excluded in secret in 1999 and that was unacceptable. Rev Litsure only promised that the CNE would further discuss the matter. 

In a statement issued after the meeting, the Carter Center said: "Final results, including any voting returns negated by CNE, need to be examined by observers to understand the reasons for CNE decisions. The Carter Center hopes this request will be granted."

The meeting between Carter and CNE member took place at the same time as a lunch at the British High Commissioner's house with international observer groups and several ambassadors, and Carter reported back to the lunch. Observers remain united in demanding more access, but there are divisions as to whether it is sufficient to have a complete record of all changes made to the results and the reasons, or if physical access to meetings and computer rooms is needed. 

Physical access to computer rooms is not very useful, but there is a fear that CNE will promise complete details and never comply. For example, in 1999 CNE promised that results would eventually be published on a polling station by polling station basis, but in the end they were only published two years later on a polling centre by polling centre basis -- that is, all the polling stations in a school were added together. That suggests to many observers that there had been some manipulation of the data and the STAE had something to hide.


Ballot box stuffing in Changara

As in 1999, there has been ballot box stuffing in Changara district in Tete. Renamo representatives were expelled from the district and there were no Renamo delegates in the polling stations, as also happened in 1999. Preliminary results from 95 polling stations show an incredible turnout of nearly 70% of all the names on the register. Because the rolls contain many people who have moved, registered a second time, or died, this would mean that nearly every living voter in Changara went to the polls. Armando Guebuza gained 58,242 of 59,701 "valid" votes.


Frelimo wins Europe

Frelimo has won the single seat for Mozambicans in Europe. There were polling stations in Portugal and Germany. Portugal gave 445 votes to Frelimo and 141 to Renamo, and there are not enough votes in Germany to shift that, which means Frelimo has won the seat. Turnout in Portugal was 71% of voters who registered this year.

Results by province

The results as of 19.30 on Friday from Radio Mozambique and gathered by AIM from its own correspondents, are:

(To make the tables easier to read, use an equal space font such as courier)

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

TOTAL (2,153 polling stations, 16.9%)

Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) 462,829
Afonso Dhlakama (Renamo) 176,484


Maputo city (123 polling stations)

Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) 38,268 
Afonso Dhlakama (Renamo) 5,342

Maputo province (180 polling stations)

Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) 42,755
Afonso Dhlakama (Renamo) 3,922

Zambezia (249 polling stations)

Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) 27,793
Afonso Dhlakama (Renamo) 22,873

Nampula (115 polling stations)

Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) 17,396
Afonso Dhlakama (Renamo) 14,802

Sofala (228 polling stations)

Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) 26,083
Afonso Dhlakama (Renamo) 42,896

Gaza (273 polling stations)

Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) 97,090
Afonso Dhlakama (Renamo) 1,615

Inhambane (229 polling stations)

Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) 47,533
Afonso Dhlakama (Renamo) 7,853

Cabo Delgado (227 polling stations)

Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) 64,567
Afonso Dhlakama (Renamo) 17,906

Niassa (183 polling stations)

Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) 31,911
Afonso Dhlakama (Renamo) 13,050

Manica (232 polling stations)

Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) 43,272
Afonso Dhlakama (Renamo) 31,467

Tete (114 polling stations)

Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) 26,161
Afonso Dhlakama (Renamo) 14,758



PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

TOTAL (2,009 polling stations)

Frelimo 395,706
Renamo 147,633

Maputo City (102 polling stations)

Frelimo 28,115
Renamo 4,264

Maputo Province (155 polling stations)

Frelimo 33,879
Renamo 3,057

Zambezia (240 polling stations)

Frelimo 23,731
Renamo 19,779

Nampula (106 polling stations)

Frelimo 14,086
Renamo 12,252

Sofala (215 polling stations)

Frelimo 21,973
Renamo 37,026

Gaza (273 polling stations)

Frelimo 93,348
Renamo 1,872

Inhambane (229 polling stations)

Frelimo 42,121
Renamo 6,852

Cabo Delgado (227 polling stations)

Frelimo 51,795
Renamo 14,232

Niassa (181 polling stations)

Frelimo 28,706
Renamo 11,458

Manica (199 polling stations)

Frelimo 39,415
Renamo 29,690

Tete (82 polling stations)

Frelimo 18,536
Renamo 6.251

How to receive the Bulletin

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