Poverty is the major concern of Mozambique's 35 million people, half of whom are registered to vote, along with an Islamist insurgency in the north that has forced thousands to flee their homes and halted multibillion-dollar gas projects.
Among those who braved early-morning rain on Wednesday to queue in the hallway of a school in Maputo, the capital, ready to cast their votes was 22-year-old student Augusto Ndeve Pais.
"I feel hopeful ... People my age are worried about the future of our country, so I think they will vote," Pais said, declining to say for whom he was voting.
Counting will start after the polls close at 6pm, but official results can take up to two weeks.
Daniel Chapo of the ruling Frelimo is the frontrunner to replace President Filipe Nyusi. (AP PHOTO)
The favourite among four candidates vying to replace President Filipe Nyusi, as he steps down after serving two terms, is Daniel Chapo, 47, a lawyer viewed as a safe choice for business and a fresh face for the long-ruling party.
He faces off against Venancio Mondlane, a charismatic independent candidate who draws huge crowds, former rebel commander Ossufo Momade, and a small opposition party leader, Lutero Simango.
Frelimo first allowed elections in 1994 and has since been accused of rigging them, charges it denies.
A rebel force turned opposition party, Renamo, usually comes a distant second place.
Mondlane posed a challenge to both in 2024, but lacked the machinery of established parties and might struggle to win votes in rural areas, analyst Dercio Alfazema said.
"This election is different because we have new actors ... (but) Frelimo has a big probability to win," Alfazema said.
Chapo had experience in local government but had not been tainted by Frelimo's corruption scandals, he said.
A disputed outcome would probably trigger protests similar to those that broke out after Frelimo swept municipal elections in 2023 and were forcefully suppressed.
Apathy might dampen them, however.
Keila Sitoe, 28, voted with her 21-year-old sister. Both, who say they hope for change but do not expect it, declined to reveal their picks.
"We don't feel the energy. We are young and things are difficult," Sitoe, who is also a student, said after voting in the school, expressing doubt that anything would improve.
"Every time they say they will change," she said.
