Another Landslide For Frelimo

In mid-January, the Constitutional Court validated the results of last November's local election. The outcome followed the predictable pattern of all polls since the end of the civil war 16 years ago, with the ruling Frelimo party wining in 41 out of the 43 districts contested, and 58 out of the 67 seats on the Maputo city council. As usual, the opposition Renamo party alleges fraud, mostly in the form of Frelimo's 'bussing in' of supporters, but there is no concrete proof of widespread vote-rigging. Renamo first threatened to boycott local assemblies, but has replaced that stance with a strategy on non-cooperation. Notwithstanding underlying stability, politics in Mozambique is a dirty game, and an increasing level of mud slinging can be expected in the run-up to the December 2009 national elections

To read the full article, please choose one of the following options: