- Fewer than half (44%) of Mozambicans say they feel “completely free” to choose who to vote for without feeling pressured, while another 23% say they feel “somewhat free.” More urbanites than rural residents (52% vs. 39%) say they feel “completely free” (Figure 1).
- Almost two-thirds (64%) of citizens say they voted in the last national election in 2019, while about one-third say they did not vote (23%), were too young to vote (8%), or can’t remember whether they voted (3%) (Figure 2).
- A majority (58%) of Mozambicans believe that the 2019 election was “completely free and fair” (35%) or “free and fair with minor problems” (23%). About one in 10 (11%) describe it as “not free and fair” (Figure 3). o Citizens in the Northern (67%) and Central (63%) regions are more likely to see the last election as largely free and fair than their Southern counterparts (38%).
- About one-third (34%) of citizens say they feared political intimidation and violence “somewhat” (22%) or “a lot” (12%) during the last national election campaign in 2019 (Figure 4). o Citizens in the Northern (48%) and Central (32%) regions are more likely to say that they feared political intimidation or violence “somewhat” or “a lot” than their Southern counterparts (16%).
- More than six in 10 citizens (63%) support elections as the best way to choose their leaders, while one-third (34%) say other methods for choosing the country’s leaders should be adopted (Figure 5).
- Two-thirds (67%) of Mozambicans support multiparty competition, including majorities of varying strengths in the Northern (78%), Central (59%), and Southern (65%) regions (Figure 6).
Fewer than half of potential voters in Mozambique say they feel “completely free” to choose who to vote for without feeling pressured, a recent Afrobarometer survey indicates.
A majority of citizens say their last national election, in 2019, was generally free and fair, though about one-third say they feared political intimidation or violence.
Citizens in the Northern and Central regions are more likely to see the last election as free and fair than their Southern counterparts, but they are also more likely to say they feared falling prey to political intimidation or violence.
Survey findings show that Mozambicans value elections: Most say regular, open, and honest elections are the best way to choose their leaders, and majorities in the Northern, Central, and Southern regions agree that many political parties are needed to make sure that voters have real choices in who governs them.
Mozambicans, whose recent municipal election results are still being contested, will conduct their next presidential election in October 2024.
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