Carlos Cardoso, Mozambique's most famous journalist, was gunned down on a Maputo street on 22 November 2000. Three years later, the identity of all the persons involved in his death is still unknown, even though six people were convicted in an exemplary trial. At least one of the instigators behind the contract killing is still at large. This is the main conclusion of a report issued by Reporters sans frontières (RSF) on 21 November 2003.

Mozambique's generally peaceful and problem-free local elections have been marked by low voter turnout, observers say. In many places less than 15 percent of registered voters bothered to cast their ballots on Wednesday, mirroring the turnout in Mozambique's last local elections in 1998, which were boycotted by the main opposition party RENAMO. The link below will take you to an IRIN story on the elections and more detailed stories contained in the Mozambique Political Process Bulletin.

Polling stations in central Maputo opened on time on Wednesday for Mozambique's second municipal elections, and the build-up of queues indicated that this time there will be a reasonable turnout.The orderly and efficient scenes at the polling stations contrasted with the chaos that had marked the first local elections in 1998.

Initial reports indicate quite a low turnout in most places, but in many places a sharp difference was noted between people who had registered this year and those who had registered in 1999, according to the Mozambique Political Process Bulletin (MPPB).