MAPUTO– Mozambique’s National Elections Commission (CNE) has declared a second round of voting in the mayoral by-election for the northern city of Nampula after the first round held a week ago saw no candidate winning at least 50 per cent of the vote.
The result, which CNE Chairperson Abdul Carimo announced here Wednesday, is not different in any significant way from the result announced at the weekend by the Nampula district elections commission.
Of the 296,590 registered voters in Nampula, only 73,852 voted, similar to the abstention rate in Nampula’s last municipal elections in 2013, when only 26 per cent of the electorate voted.
The vast majority of votes cast, 71,989 (97.47 per cent) were valid while 786 votes (1.06 per cent) were blank ballots, and 1,091 votes (1.48 per cent) were invalid.
The results showed that Amisse Cololo, the candidate of Frelimo, Mozambique’s main opposition party, polled 32,042 votes (44.51 per cent), while Paulo Vahanle of Mozambique’s ruling Renamo party obtained 29,029 votes (40.32 per cent) and Carlos Saide of the MDM polled 7,273 votes (10.1 per cent). Two other candidates eached obtained less than 5.0 per cent of the wotes.
Since there is no clear winner, Cololo and Vahanle must face each other in a run-off second round. The date of the second round can only be fixed after the Constitutional Council, Mozambique’s highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law, has validated and proclaimed the results of the first round.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK