MOZAMBIQUE: Guebuza to succeed Chissano as president

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

JOHANNESBURG, 16 Dec 2004 (IRIN) - Mozambique's ruling FRELIMO party has won the recently concluded parliamentary and presidential elections, bagging nine of the 10 provinces where results had been declared by Thursday, according to National Elections Commission spokesman Filipe Mandlate.

"FRELIMO has done better than it did in the previous years, largely because it managed to mobilise its supporters to vote in an election otherwise marked by voter apathy," said Fernando Goncalves, editor of the weekly independent newspaper, Savana.

"The party has won Nampula province, traditionally a RENAMO stronghold. It has regained Tete and Niassa, which it had lost in the last elections, while maintaining its predominance in Maputo, Inhambane and Gaza", he added.

Besides the visible campaigning, FRELIMO conducted dooor-to-door lobbying for votes particularly in the RENAMO strongholds, according to Goncalves.

A new presidential candidate Armando Guebuza could have "played a part in providing fresh impetus to the campaigning - supporters might have thought things might be different with a new person," Goncalves added.

Mozambique held its elections on 1 and 2 December to choose a successor to Joaquim Chissano, who had been in power for 18 years.

Mandlate told IRIN the results of Sofala province, a RENAMO stronghold, had been held up because of "technical problems", but said FRELIMO was expected to improve its standing there from three seats, secured in the 2000 elections, to six.

Guebuza and FRELIMO managed to secure resounding victories in Gaza (more than 90 percent of the vote), Maputo province (more than 80 percent) and Tete and Inhambane provinces (both more than 70 percent).

RENAMO retained Zambezia province with 52 percent of the ballots against 37 percent. Nationally, RENAMO was expected to secure 30 percent of the votes, according to Mandlate, with the remaining 18 political parties taking 10 percent.

RENAMO has alleged widespread fraud in the voting and counting process and has demanded a re-run.

[ENDS]