(iPoster) Flame Country: Populism, Electoral Violence, and Future of Mozambican Democracy

• In Event: Poster Sessions: African Politics Conference Group & Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Politics
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: African Politics Conference Group

Abstract

The adoption of a new Constitution in 1990 opened Mozambique to democracy and political pluralism, allowing for the formation and functioning of political parties, which have since been seen as decisive instruments for the democratic participation of citizens in the governance of the country. This new context recognized the respect and guarantee of the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens. From 1994 onwards, the country began to hold elections, first for national bodies, namely the President of the Republic and Members of Parliament (since 1994); secondly, for local government bodies (since 1998), and recently for provincial bodies, namely members of Provincial Assemblies (2014) and Provincial Governors (2019). However, elections in Mozambique have a long history of conflict and violence in the periods before, during and after the elections. This scenario became particularly striking in the last local elections in 2023 and general elections in 2024. In these last two cases, post-election violence was widespread throughout the country, causing enormous socio-economic and political damage of various kinds, including several deaths. Taking advantage of the moment, a wave of populist rhetoric emerged among national political actors, inflaming the situation. What implications does post-election violence, including human rights violations, have for the future of a recent democracy, as is the case in Mozambique? To answer this question, this article explores the causes of extreme and widespread post-election violence in Mozambique, particularly in 2023 and 2024, relating them to the emergence of increasingly populist politics and the consolidation of the state's autocratic tendencies.

Author

• Unregistered Participant