The three big parties with seats in parliament – Frelimo, Renamo and MDM – are dominating the campaign. The 24 smaller parties have received some government money, but campaigning has been limited.
AMUSI has the only other presidential candidate and will receive the most money ($300,000) of the small parties. The party is based in Nampula, home province of its presidential candidate Mário Albino, and has concentrated its efforts there. The party has been holding rallies and parades and doing door to door campaign; its posters can be seen.
With limited funds, AMUSI has established a presence in Nampula. In Namiconha and Rapale, for example, AMUSI t-shirts, flags and posters had particular prominence. In Malema, the district party does not have a car, but on foot has had rallies with t-shirts and posters. The only use of a car was the day candidate Mário Albino came to the district.
AMUSI has used the government money in part to allocate a vehicle for travel to the districts of Nampula. And in Nacala Porto posters and banners went up last week, after the party had received funds.
AMUSI is also campaigning just over the border in Cuamba, Niassa. Albino started campaigning in Cabo Delgado but withdrew due to fear of the insurgents. AMUSI is also campaigning in Beira.
As the local party, AMUSI could gain some support in Nampula, which could help Frelimo by splitting the opposition vote. It could potentially win a seat in the national parliament. The other two parties which gained significant government money are PARENA and PARESO ($102,000 and $94,000). We did a survey of our correspondents across the country asking about these two parties. They report that despite receiving funds, PARENA has hardly been seen, although it is campaigning in Beira. PARESO and PARENA both have posters in Malema district, Nampula.
PARESO has mainly been campaigning in the south. In Maxixe, Inhambane, PARESO posters can be seen, and in Matola, Mozambique’s largest city, there was a PARESO parade with less than a dozen people.
None of these three parties have been seen in Zambézia, Tete, or Manica despite standing for parliament in those provinces, our correspondents say. AMUSI is not standing in Gaza. PARESO and PARENA are both standing for provincial assembly as well as parliament in Gaza, but are not campaigning there.
In Chiure, in the south of Cabo Delgado in an area not affected by the insurgency, our correspondent noted that MONARUMO and one if its candidates Dorinda Pintane are actively campaigning on foot, with parades, pamphlets, door to door campaigns in the district town and the six (6) administrative posts that make up the district.
And Francisco Campira, head of PASOMA, posted on his Facebook page (9 September) a picture him flying off to Lisbon to campaign for the single European seat.
