By-election details

Provisional results for the three by-elections for mayor on Wednesday were announced Thursday afternoon by the Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE). The results cover all polling stations, but will still be changed slightly because the National Elections Commission (CNE) must recheck all ballot papers declared invalid; this will not change the outcome.

All three mayors were elected by large majorities, but on very low turnouts. Manuel de Araujo, of the opposition Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) won in Quelimane, while in Pemba and Cuamba Frelimo candidates Tagir Carimo and Vicente Lourenço won.

Figures below also give the 42,646 voter cards issued by registration brigades from 13 October to 1 November. New voters are largely people who reached the voting age of 18 since the last general elections, in 2009. Transfers were people who had moved into the city since 2009. Reissued cards replaced those lost or damaged. There is no way to remove from the register people who have moved away or died, which means registration totals are about 10% too high, and thus real turnouts are slightly higher than given here.

Quelimane

Registration

New voters: 10,052

Cards reissued: 11,176

Transfers: 4,107

Total registered: 134,545

Election

Turnout 37,614 (27%)

Valid votes 36,356 (96.7%)

Blank ballots 825 ( 2.2%)

Invalid votes 433 ( 1.2%)

22,644 (62.3%) Manuel de Araujo (MDM)

13,712 (37.7%) Lourenco Abubacar (Frelimo)

Pemba

Registration

New voters: 6,491

Cards reissued: 4,733

Transfers: 702

Total registered: 88,011

Election:

Turnout 16,017 (18.2%)

Valid votes 15,260 (95.3%)

Blank ballots 282 ( 1.8%)

Invalid votes 475 ( 3.0%)

13,571 (88.9%) Tagir Carimo (Frelimo)

1,468 ( 9.6%) Assamo Tique (MDM)

221 ( 1,4%) Emiliano Mocambique (PAHUMO, Humanitarian Party of Mozambique)

Cuamba

Registration

New voters: 2,065

Cards reissued: 3,101

Transfers: 219

Total registered: 45,898

Turnout 6,699 (15%)

Valid votes 6,411 (95.7%)

Blank ballots 130 ( 1.9%)

Invalid votes 158 ( 2.4%)

4,095 (63.9%) Vicente Lourenco (Frelimo)

2,316 (36.1%) Maria Moreno (MDM)

Source: MOZAMBIQUE 192, News reports & clippings 9 Dec 2011