Mozambique Elections: Third phase of protests has the support of ‘other opposition parties’ – Podemos

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Mozambique Elections: Third phase of protests has the support of ‘other opposition parties’ – Podemos

1:50 CAT | 30 Oct 2024

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: DW]

Podemos spokesperson says that “unity is strength” and gives assurances that the upcoming protests will be “peaceful”.

Still, according to him, Venâncio Mondlane is being put under a lot of pressure “to move towards more extreme action”.

Podemos says it will not be alone in the third phase of protests called this Tuesday by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane against the election results announced by the National Electoral Commission.

In an interview with DW, Podemos spokesperson Pires Eugénio reiterates that the protests, which aim to “demand electoral truth”, will be “peaceful” and will include “other opposition parties” in Mozambique.

The marches that begin this Thursday (31-10), culminating in a large demonstration in Maputo on November 7, are being called after the party submitted an appeal to the Constitutional Council with original notices and result sheets of the vote.

DW Africa: What is the plan for the forthcoming protests, announced on Tuesday by Venâncio Mondlane?

Pires Eugénio (PE): They will be in the same vein, a peaceful demonstration with other forms of action, as a way of putting pressure so that the electoral truth is reinstated. The goal is to demand the electoral truth. We are looking at how we can hold a demonstration in collaboration with the authorities, so that there are no riots or loss of life, as has happened all over the country. That does not speak well of either the party or the country.

DW Africa: Do you think it will be possible?

PE: That is what we want. The police themselves have people infiltrated in the demonstrations to provoke riots, used later to justify their actions.

DW Africa: Has PODEMOS joined forces with other opposition parties for this third stage of the demonstration?

PE: Other opposition parties joined in because, fortunately, the world has understood that this cause is no longer just about Venâncio Mondlane. He has been very measured, despite being explosive when he appears on his [Facebook] live broadcasts. Venâncio Mondlane has been receiving pressure from all corners of the country to take more extreme action.

DW Africa: And what can we expect from this union?

PE: As the saying goes, “unity is strength”. We hope that something can change. What is at stake is the electoral truth. Frelimo must learn to live in a democratic way.

DW Africa: A note is circulating that there are suspicions that the Constitutional Council may eliminate the evidence from the notices. Is this true?

PE: This information does not come from Podemos. We learned about it in the same way that you did. But judging by the Constitutional Council that we know, we cannot rule it out.

DW Africa: If this happens, does Podemos have any copies of the documents submitted to the Constitutional Council?

PE: Of course. When we do things, we look to the past to envision the future.

DW Africa: The same note states that Venâncio Mondlane was invited to speak with the President of the Republic…

PE: So far, it could be considered fake news, but it is circulating on social media. And a lot of the information that circulates on social media is not produced by chance. It comes from within Frelimo, because, as I said, this cause is not Venâncio Mondlane’s alone, it is a cause of the Mozambican people. That is why many of Frelimo’s plans reach us before they are executed.

DW Africa: What can the Mozambican people expect from Podemos’s union with the other opposition parties for this demonstration?

PE: It is an added value to see if the electoral truth emerges through this pressure.

Source: Deutsche Welle