THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION is coming up and the craziness of the campaigning that is going on all around us these days is entertaining. The last couple of days our town has been a buzz preparing for a visit by the President today to campaign. I knew something important was happening as a rough structure for a stage draped in red cloth was erected in the town center and helicopters were flying around, both of these are not the norms. Nearly everyone has some form of candidate advertisement plastered on their cars, carts, bicycles, bodies, store fronts, electric poles. Everywhere! Of course, it doesn't hurt that people benefit from their willingness to "support" their party through being given diesel, fuel, no harassment, etc. There are two main parties with a smaller third one officially a part of the election. The dominant party is Frelimo, the secondary is Renamo, and the much smaller third is the MDM (Movement for Democratic Mozambique-I think??). Frelimo has been in power since the end of the civil war which officially came to a close in October, 1992 but the first free election wasn't held until 1994. The count down is on....Elections are to be held October 28th. Please pray for a peaceful election and that the results will be fairly reported and accepted. We along with most missionaries in town plan on just hanging around home for a few days during that time because people become VERY PASSIONATE and it is better not to get caught in the middle of one of the crowds.
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