Global IssuesPOLITICS: Huge Youth Turnout in Elections
Mozambicans voted today in elections reported to have had a massive youth turnout. The polls opened at 7 am with some people lining up in long queues even hours before the voting process started.
In the capital city of Maputo lines at the voting stations, mostly located in primary schools, were long reaching up to almost 150 metres. Some voters queued for up to five hours before they got to the front of the line and were let through to the polling station and allowed to make their mark. There were 12,600 polling stations in the country.
'Some people came as early as 5 am to mark their place in the queues with stones and leaf bunches,' said a member of a polling station in Maputo, who preferred anonymity because he said he did not have permission to talk to the press. Those who marked their places sat around waiting for the polling stations to open, instead of standing in the queue. It is common in Mozambique for people to mark their places in queues.
'So far, everything is going fine. The voting process will end at 6 pm but we were oriented to continue attending people who, at the closing time, will still be standing in the queue,' he added.
To ensure all registered voters have the chance to vote, STAE (Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat), has increased the number of election staff per station from five to seven staffers. These staffers also had the task of helping organise the queues and direct people to the voting room.
The excitement to vote was clear to see, especially youth, a contrast to the 2004 elections when less than 35 percent of eligible voters casted their vote. There are just over 9,8 million voters registered and eligible to vote in today’s the election. Voter turnout may have been helped by the fact that the Labour Ministry declared today a public holiday, to give all workers the chance to vote.
'I went around (today) to the bars and clubs in Maputo and surrounding, and amazingly most of the young people I found had already voted,' said Noa Inacio, a journalist who is observing the event.
'The ones who had not yet being in the polling station promised to do so before the closing.' he added.
A young couple on their 20’s in one of the polling stations said they could not miss the opportunity to vote for the first time in a presidential election.
'I am very excited. This is my first time to vote for a president,' explained Tatiana Batista while holding the hand of her boyfriend. 'I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to choose the person who is going to lead our future,' she added.
'I had to come to vote and choose our leader for the next five years,' Batista’s boyfriend, explains. 'I don’t want anyone to choose my fish and vegetables.'
He was referring to an advertising campaign run but STAE. In order to a have a massive participation of voters, STAE broadcasted a radio/TV advertisement spot which shows a couple in a restaurant choosing their meal. The wife forces him to eat fish and vegetables, something he did not like, because he had not made his mind about his food until the waiter showed up to take the order.
During the 45-day election campaign, which ended this Sunday, the STAE advert became very popular among young Mozambicans who had been consistently asked by all candidates to participate in the electoral process.
International observers were also surprised by the number of people who turnout to cast their votes in the fourth democratic elections to be held in Mozambique.
'I am surprised by the number of people who came early in the morning vote. It shows how Mozambicans are so much involved in process,' said the head of the European Union Observers Team, Fiona Hall.
Hall also said that she was amazed by the civic responsibility and discipline Mozambicans showed during the voting process. 'I was amazed to see that senior people and pregnant woman are given priority when standing in the lines.'
Nearly 30 parties registered for the parliamentary poll, but the election commission allowed candidates from only 19 to run. The other parties were excluded because they did not have their electoral papers in order. Only the ruling Frelimo and the main opposition pary Renamo are contesting in every constituency for the 250 seats in parliament.
The exclusion of the other political parties brought a serial of controversial debates most of them around the new political party, Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) led by the mayor of the second-largest Mozambican city of Beira and former member of Renamo.
MDM, which has been formed at beginning of this year after most of his members split from the former rebel group Renamo, has been excluded from fielding candidates in nine of the 13 parliamentary regions. They were excluded for not having their electoral papers in order but have laid a complaint with the office of the Attorney-General.
Running for the seat for president against the current President Armando Emilio Guebuza is the MDM leader, Daviz Simango and the Renamo head Afonso Dhlakama. Dhlakama says he will not run for presidency again if he loses this election.
In the interest of 'transparency and justice' the Electoral Commission has allowed party delegates and national and international observers to watch the counting of votes.
The early results of the fourth Mozambique’s parliamentary and presidential election and first provincial elections are expected later on today and the official results will only be known within two weeks.
© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service