Local elections in Mozambique in 2003

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The Local Elections in Mozambique 2003 were held on November 19, 2003 in the 33 cities ("municipios") of Mozambique . It was the second local election since Mozambique gained independence. The turnout was 24.16%.

The mayors and council assemblies were elected in the following towns (listed by province ):

Results

The ruling party FRELIMO won the - often overwhelming - majority of the votes in most cities and towns. Only in Nacala Porto , Ilha de Moçambique , Angoche and Beira , the country's second largest city, did Mozambique's largest opposition party, RENAMO , win a majority and also provide the mayor.

11 other parties or independent candidates competed in individual localities. Few of them ran for election in several cities. Partido Trabalhista (PT) and Partido Independente de Moçambique (PIMO) were featured on most of the ballot papers without being able to achieve any notable successes. Hardly any of the small parties achieved 5% in a single election.

Outstanding results from small parties / independents:

  • In Maputo City, JPC's Philipe Gagnaux won 10.03% of the vote in the mayoral elections, his party 8.02% and thus 5 seats in the council elections.
  • The independent candidate Jorge Simões achieved 13.75% in the mayoral candidacy in Ilha de Moçambique .

Democratic standards

International observers from the Carter Center , for example, criticized individual aspects of the election process, e. B. some errors in the calculation of election results, inconsistencies in electoral rolls, the restriction of the movement of observers and the low turnout. Overall, however, they rated the elections as democratic and fair. The disappointingly low turnout must also be seen as a step forward compared to the last local elections in 1998 , in which only 15% of the electorate exercised their right to vote due to the boycott by RENAMO and other parties.

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