{"id":62895,"date":"2019-10-16T16:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T20:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=62895"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:37:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:37:26","slug":"mozambique-politics-shifting","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/mozambique-politics-shifting\/","title":{"rendered":"Campaign shows that political tectonic plates are shifting in Mozambique"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n\n \n \n \n \n
\n\n
<\/div>\n \n
\n
\n\n

\n Campaign shows that political tectonic plates are shifting in Mozambique\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

Having ruled Mozambique since 1975, the country\u2019s governing party, Frelimo, feels backed into a corner. It behaves as though it must fight any challenge to its hegemony by whatever means necessary. This includes aggression and violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hence the sombre state of human rights that has formed in the past five years. Mozambique has witnessed intimidation of civil society, arbitrary arrests and detentions<\/a>. Security forces have used excessive force and there have been incidents of torture and extrajudicial killing. Freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association has been suppressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 44 days of the election campaign, 44 people were killed \u2013 one person\u2019s death for every day of campaigning. In addition 271 were injured, about 59 were arrested and property was destroyed<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the end of the civil war in 1992, Mozambique has held five general elections. Frelimo has won them all, with Renamo in second place and since 2009 the Mozambique Democratic Movement also in the fray. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The background of rights abuse has cast its shadow into the current electoral cycle. To mention some salient cases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n