MAPUTO Hisashi Iwakuma Jersey , Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Mozambicans went to the polls on Wednesday to elect their fourth president since its independence in 1975, as well as a new parliament and provincial assemblies.


The presidential race will largely be a showdown among former Defense Minister Filipe Nyusi, of the ruling Frelimo party; Afonso Dhlakama, leader of the main opposition Renamo; and Daviz Simango, leader of the second-largest opposition Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM).


Some polling stations were closed at 6:00 p.m. local time and started the counting process, while others remain open to allow voters already in the queues to proceed.


Long queues have been seen outside many polling stations from the early hours of Wednesday in central Maputo, but by 1:00 p.m. local time Kyle Seager Jersey , the queues had evaporated, and only a trickle of voters was making its way into the stations.


Furthermore, according to the Electoral Observatory, Mozambique' s largest election observation group, the turnout is low despite large attendances at campaign rallies.


President Armando Guebuza, accompanied by his wife, was the first to cast his ballot at a polling station at the Josina Machel Secondary School.


In a short statement after voting Yonder Alonso Jersey , Guebuza urged all registered voters to vote in a peaceful and orderly way and turn the voting into a feast of all Mozambicans.


"We must avoid violence that can spoil our feast," said Guebuza.


Nyusi said after voting in the capital that he believes in his victory as well as the party's.


"I feel proud and happy for exercising my vote as a Mozambican citizen, and it's a special day for me because my kids vote for the first time today. I hope the voting process will continue in this way, calm, happy and harmonious," said Nyusi.


Dhlakama, who also cast his vote in Maputo Jean Segura Jersey , skipped the question of whether he will respect the result of the elections.


"For the first time, these elections are free and fair. All the previous ones were fraudulent," he went on to say.


The opposition leader, who is running for the presidency for the fifth time, appealed to the police not to interfere in the electoral process.


Simango said after voting in the country's second largest city, Beira, that he will be watching the voting process from the headquarters of his party.


"I feel proud for exercising my right. I appeal to my fellow Mozambicans to do the same. After a long campaign exercise Jarrod Dyson Jersey , I and the Mozambicans will be the ones that will win the process," said Simango, who is running for the second time.


According to statistics provided by the country's National Electoral Commission (NEC), around 10.8 million Mozambicans nationwide have registered for the elections, and nearly 90,000 will vote abroad.


Speaking in Wednesday afternoon, Chairperson of NEC Abdul Carimo said there were some problems but not enough to disrupt the voting process which for him is going orderly Randy Johnson Jersey , peacefully and fast.


The chairperson didn't name the problems, but there are reports of failures to issue credentials to observers and party delegates, and some delays in distribution of materials as well as polling stations that open late.


Late in the afternoon, the state news agency AIM reported that a group of Renamo members were arrested for preventing an act of fraud in the northwestern province of Tete, and in another case, the European Union's Election Observation Mission to Mozambique's general elections was barred from working in Tete.


Several people interviewed by Xinhua expressed their wishes for the voting as well as the future. "Voting is an act of patriotism, " said Maria Macamo Ken Griffey Jersey , who cast her ballot in Maputo.


"I have faith in my motherland, I believe we can have a better future," said Tilio Agostinho, a resident in Maputo.


Security is tight at polling stations to avoid violence. There were acts of violence during the elections campaign in Maputo and Nampula, involving members and supporters of the ruling Frelimo and the former rebel movement Renamo.


For many Mozambicans, the 2014 polls are to consolidate peace and democracy in Mozambique, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Frelimo government and Renamo in September to end hostilities between the two sides Edgar Martinez Jersey , especially in the central province of Sofala since 2013.


It is the fifth time for the former Portuguese colonial country to hold general elections after its deadly civil war between Frelimo and Renamo ended in 1992. The ruling party won all the previous elections.