Maputo, Oct 9 (EFE).- Polling stations opened in Mozambique on Wednesday at 7 am local time (05:00 GMT) with the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) going in as favorite.
One of the voters who cast their ballot early in the morning, before 8 am, was Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) candidate Ossufo Momamde, the main opposition leader in the country who has been winning over younger voters.
Accompanied by his wife, Momade voted at the Josina Machel school in Maputo, from where he urged all eligible voters to head to the polls.
The Renamo candidate expressed his desire for free, fair and transparent polls, and asked that the decision of the Mozambicans be respected, according to the local media outlet O País.
Momade said it would be necessary to wait until the end of the day on Wednesday or until Thursday for initial data.
Also in statements to local media, other voters urged people to vote calmly and to follow the rest of the day on television to avoid large crowds and tumult at the polling stations.
The 8,737 voting centers spread throughout the country will remain open until 6 pm or until the last in line has voted.
More than 17 million Mozambicans are called to elect their next president, the deputies of the Assembly of the Republic (unicameral parliament), and the governors and legislators of the country’s 10 provinces.
President Filipe Nyusi has already served the maximum of two five-year terms established by the constitution, so cannot run again.
The candidate of the ruling socialist Frelimo, Daniel Chapo, hopes to succeed Nyusi by beating Momade and two other candidates.
The National Electoral Commission has accredited 1,582 journalists and 11,928 observers (11,516 national and 412 foreign), including 200 from a European Union mission.
The provisional results are expected to be published between the day of the vote and Oct. 24, while the final results should be announced during the first week of November once they are validated by the Constitutional Council. EFE
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