Mozambique Elections: “Refrain” from inciting to “disorder” and “insurrection”, warns Attorney General’s Office

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Mozambique Elections: “Refrain” from inciting to “disorder” and “insurrection”, warns Attorney General’s Office

1:54 CAT | 15 Oct 2024

File photo: O País

The Mozambican Attorney General’s Office (PGR) yesterday warned those involved in Wednesday’s general elections to “refrain” from making statements that could provoke “disorder” and “insurrection”, as the opposition contests the counting of the results currently underway.

“As the guarantor of legality, the Attorney General’s Office calls on candidates, members of competing lists, members and supporters of political parties, as well as voters and the general public, to act in strict compliance with the Constitution and other laws, while awaiting the counting of votes, validation and proclamation of the election results by the competent bodies, avoiding the commission of crimes and electoral offences,” reads the statement from the Attorney General’s Office sent to Lusa in Maputo yesterday.

The position comes as the opposition is criticising the results of the intermediate count already announced, which give an overall victory to the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, the ruling party) in the general elections of October 9, and to its presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, alleging “fraud” and threatening to challenge the results and protest.

“We also call on people to refrain from making statements that could degenerate into disorder, insurrection, violence or an illegitimate rise to power. All political actors have a duty to respect the process by acting in a way that complies with the constitutional norms approved by us, contributing to a peaceful, free and fair election and to the consolidation of the democratic rule of law,” the statement reads.

The PGR explains that, through the media, social media pages and digital platforms, “it has observed speeches that incite violence, public disorder, including self-proclaimed victory in the election, before the results have been announced by the competent bodies, a situation that violates the law and is likely to degenerate into social unrest”.

Venâncio Mondlane is the only one of the four presidential candidates to have claimed victory in the election for President of the Republic in last Wednesday’s vote – a result that has not been confirmed by any electoral body – on the basis of the parallel count that his supporters are carrying out of the minutes and notices from the polling stations.

“As for the electoral crimes, which are of official knowledge to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, this body has been processing all situations of which it is aware or reported. With regard to irregularities that do not constitute electoral offences, these are challenged in specific proceedings, before the electoral administration bodies, district courts and the Constitutional Council, where the Public Prosecutor’s Office intervenes within the scope of its powers,” the PGR warns.

It adds that, with regard to the violation of “ethical standards of the electoral process, when it constitutes a call for disorder or insurrection or incitement to hatred, racism, violence or war, the law provides for the application of a prison sentence of two to eight years, unless a more serious sentence is applicable”, guaranteeing at the same time that “it has been monitoring the occurrence of electoral offences, irregularities, common crime and the violation of ethical electoral standards, committed by various participants in the electoral process, members and supporters of political parties, agents of the electoral administration, competitors, among others”.

According to electoral legislation, the provincial results should be counted by the end of today, with the count at the level of the country’s 154 districts having been completed over the weekend.

The publication of the results of the presidential election by the National Electoral Commission, if there is no second round, takes up to 15 days (counted from the closing of the polls), before they are sent for validation by the Constitutional Council, which has no deadline for proclaiming the official results, even after analysing possible appeals.

The vote included legislative elections (250 deputies) and for provincial assemblies and their respective provincial governors, in this case with 794 mandates to be distributed.

Source: Lusa