Mozambique Elections: Campaign Generally Calm, but with Incidents of Intimidation and Violence
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Loading... - Martha Adu
- 13 Sep 2024
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The election campaign in Mozambique, ahead of the general elections scheduled for October 9, has been generally calm, according to "Mais Integridade" (More Integrity), a consortium of civil society bodies observing the elections. However, there have been incidents of intimidation and violence, particularly in the second week of the campaign.
The observers reported a slight increase in cases of intimidation, with 22% of these incidents involving police interference in the campaign. In some cases, the police even opened fire. The majority of the intimidation (60%) was perpetrated by supporters of the ruling Frelimo Party, who tried to block the campaign activities of opposition parties.
There were several incidents of violence, including one death and three injuries, as well as clashes between supporters of different parties. The observers also noted the illicit use of public assets for electoral purposes, with Frelimo being the main beneficiary.
The police were present in 41% of the campaign events observed, and their behavior was generally regarded as "normal and professional". However, in some cases, their behavior was deemed "insufficient, but professional", or even "excessive and intimidatory".
The observers also found that the media coverage of the campaign was biased in favor of Frelimo, with the party receiving the most coverage on television and in the written press. There were also sharp gender differences in the campaign, with men leading 42% of the events observed, and women leading only 10%.
"Mais Integridade" has deployed 250 observers across 80 of Mozambique's 154 districts to monitor the campaign. The consortium consists of several civil society organizations, including the Episcopal Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Church, the Centre for Public Integrity, and the Mozambican chapter of the regional press freedom body MISA.
