Mozambique awaits election results as the ruling party looks to extend its reign past 50 years

MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Mozambicans were waiting for early election results Thursday, a day after a vote for a new president passed off peacefully despite opposition candidates claiming fraud and manipulation by the longtime ruling party.

Vote-counting began straight after polls closed Wednesday evening, and some preliminary results from the 11 provinces could be released within days. The final results must be delivered to the Constitutional Council within 15 days to be ratified and formally declared.

The governing Front for the Liberation of Mozambique, or Frelimo, has been in power for 49 years since Mozambique gained independence from colonial ruler Portugal in 1975, although the country only held its first elections in 1994 because of a 15-year civil war following independence.

Frelimo's Daniel Chapo is favored to succeed President Filipe Nyusi, who has served a maximum two terms. Chapo, who is 47, is a new face for Frelimo, having emerged as the surprise winner of an internal vote in May to be its presidential candidate.

Chapo's strongest challenge could come from independent Venancio Mondlane, say analysts. He is a newcomer to national politics who has struck a chord with young people who are disaffected with unemployment and government corruption in the southern Africa nation of some 33 million people.

Mondlane and the two other challengers for president all raised concerns over the voting process on Wednesday, saying among other things that ballot boxes had been unsealed before voting ended and some of their parties’ delegates were denied accreditation to monitor voting.

Frelimo has often been accused of rigging elections. Last year, after it swept local elections, violent unrest erupted that was put down by security forces.

“Young people are not going to take another fraud,” Mondlane said.

The head of the European Union’s observer delegation said Thursday that no major problems were reported on voting day, although it was too early to draw any conclusions. Mozambican election monitoring group Sala da Paz also said it was troubling that some party delegates were denied access to polling stations and were unable to monitor voting.

Mozambique, which boasts a long coastline of tropical beaches on the Indian Ocean, has abundant natural resources and is a crucial gateway for the region. However, it has been hampered by instability and hit by cyclones and other climate shocks.

It is fighting a jihadi insurgency in the northern province of Cabo Delgado that has left hundreds of thousands of people displaced and halted new multibillion-dollar natural gas projects seen as crucial to the economy. Voting went ahead in Cabo Delgado despite the security challenges.

Frelimo is a leftist former liberation movement that established a one-party state after independence. It fought a bloody civil war against rebel group Renamo, which became the main opposition after a 1992 peace deal. The peace between Frelimo and Renamo has been fragile, with more fighting breaking out in 2013 and another deal signed in 2019.

The four candidates for president are Chapo, Mondlane, Renamo's Ossufo Momade and Lutero Simango of the small Mozambique Democratic Movement party. Mozambicans voted for president, the makeup of Parliament and the provincial governors in the one-day election.

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People queue to cast their votes during general elections in Maputo, Mozambique, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Equeio)

A poster of independent candidate Venacio Mondlane is held at an election rally on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 in Maputo ahead of elections in Mozambique. (AP Photo/Carlos Uqueio)

Supporters take part in a ruling party rally to support presidential candidate Daniel Chapo ahead of elections, in Maputo, Mozambique, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Uqueio)

People queue to cast their votes during general elections in Maputo, Mozambique, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Equeio)

People queue to cast their votes during the general elections in Maputo, Mozambique, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Charles Mangwiro)

Independent candidate Venancio Mondlane holds up his finger after casting his vote in general elections in Maputo, Mozambique, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Equeio)

A woman walks out of a polling booth to cast her vote in general elections in Maputo, Mozambique, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Equeio)

People queue to cast their votes at a polling station in general elections in Maputo, Mozambique, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Equeio)

Daniel Chapo, right, presidential candidate for the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique party, holds up his finger after casting his vote in the general elections, in Inhambane, Mozambique, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo)

Vote counting gets underway at a polling station in Maputo, Mozambique, in general elections Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Uqueio)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Homebuyers in Seattle, Silicon Valley and the nation's other priciest markets may soon see some relief as falling mortgage rates prompt more sellers to list their properties.

The number of newly listed homes for sale climbed 4.2% last month, according to data from Realtor.com. September's jump was the biggest annual increase since the peak of the spring homebuying season, and helped lift active listings 34% from a year earlier, according to Realtor.com.

A dearth of properties for sale is one reason keeping the median U.S. home sale price near record highs. The median U .S.home sale price hit an all-time high in June at $426,900.

Last month, the Federal Reserve announced its first interest rate cut in more than four years and signaled more cuts to come this year and through 2026.

While the Fed doesn’t set mortgage rates, its policy pivot cleared a path for mortgage rates to generally go lower.

“Sellers, especially those who are locked into a low rate, have been waiting for market conditions to change,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. “Now that we’re seeing mortgage rates down to their lowest levels in two years, there are signs of movement, with more sellers putting homes on the market, even in what’s typically a real estate shoulder season.”

Lower mortgage rates boost home shoppers’ purchasing power. They also can make selling a home more palatable for homeowners with mortgages that have a fixed rate below current prevailing rates.

The most expensive markets in the country drove much of the increase in newly listed homes last month. That includes metropolitan areas around Seattle, San Jose and Washington D.C., Realtor.com found.

Even so, homeowners who can afford to hold off on selling are likely waiting for rates to come down a lot further than they already have.

Consider, as of the second quarter, about 84% of all outstanding mortgages had a rate below 6% and 56% had a rate below 4%, according to Realtor.com.

Hale expects the average rate on a 30-year home loan to stay around 6% through the end of this year. A year ago, the average rate hit a 23-year high of 7.79%, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac.

September marked the 11th month in a row with an annual increase in active listings and the highest number of properties on the market since April 2020. The pickup in home listings is good news for the housing market, which has been in a sales slump for more than two years, partly due to a shortage of homes for sale.

Despite the September surge in new listings, the inventory of homes on the market remains below pre-pandemic levels. Active listings were down 23.2% last month compared to September 2019 and new listings were off 11.8%, according to Realtor.com.

FILE - A sign announcing a house for sale is displayed in Prospect Heights, Ill., on March 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)