Mozambique Elections: Mondlane’s claim that he won presidential election is ‘a question ethics’, says the CNE- Watch

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Mozambique Elections: Mondlane’s claim that he won presidential election is ‘a question ethics’, says the CNE- Watch

2:25 CAT | 11 Oct 2024

Screen grab: DW Africa

The spokesman for the Mozambican National Electoral Commission (CNE) on Friday criticised the “ethics” of candidate Venâncio Mondlane’s announcement that he had won the presidential election, at a time when tabulation is only at the district level.

“Someone announcing that they are already President of the Republic … cannot be the responsibility of the electoral bodies (…) They will have to wait until the competent bodies announce the official results,” said Paulo Cuinica, questioned by Lusa news agency at a press conference in Maputo about Mondlane’s announcement of victory on Thursday.

“At this point it can’t be classed as an electoral offence, but it’s a question of ethics, above all,” he said, pointing out that it was necessary to have “proof” of these announcements.

According to the spokesman, “those who allege [something] have to prove it” because “in the electoral process you have to show proof”.

“I’m sure that in that data processing centre [that Venâncio Mondlane claims to have] there are also notices that give those results that make him proclaim himself President of the Republic. Therefore, we hope that in due course he will be able to present all the evidence he has to the competent institutions,” said Mr Cuinica.

READ: Just In: Presidential candidate Mondlane unilaterally declares victory – Mozambique Elections

Mozambique Elections: Presidential candidate to ‘form government with people from all parties’,Frelimo included – Watch

On Thursday, presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane declared himself the winner of the Wednesday elections for President of the Republic of Mozambique based on the results of the voting minutes and notices that are being processed by his candidacy.

“We are making a public declaration of victory in light of the original, true minutes and public notices that have reached us,” said the candidate in a self-styled declaration to the country via his social networks earlier this afternoon but which was not corroborated by any official information from the electoral bodies.

He added that his parallel counting centre, which uses the minutes and notices of polling stations received from all over the country through the delegates at the stations, totalled almost 25% of the polling stations.

Paulo Cuinica also explained that the results tabulation process is expected to be finalised in all 154 districts of the country between today and Saturday.

In accordance with electoral legislation, the results were tabulated at the polling station level on Wednesday evening. The official tabulation at the district level took up to three days, and the provincial tabulation took up to five days after polling day.

The National Electoral Commission has up to 15 days to announce the results, which are then validated by the Constitutional Council. The Constitutional Council has no deadline for a final proclamation and still has to analyse the appeals received.

Wednesday’s general elections included the seventh presidential elections, for which the current head of state, Filipe Nyusi, who has reached the constitutional limit of two terms, no longer ran, as well as the seventh legislative elections and the fourth elections for provincial assemblies and governors.

In addition to Venâncio Mondlane, Lutero Simango, supported by the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM, the third largest parliamentary force), Daniel Chapo, with the support of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo, in power since 1975), and Ossufo Momade, with the support of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo, the largest opposition party), ran for the presidency.

The vote included legislative seats (250 MPs) and seats for provincial assemblies and their respective provincial governors, with 794 seats to be distributed. The CNE approved lists of 35 political parties running for parliament and 14 political parties and groups of voting citizens for the provincial assemblies.

Source: Lusa / DW Africa