Mozambique: Civil groups accuse Frelimo of exploiting minors in elections

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Mozambique: Civil groups accuse Frelimo of exploiting minors in elections

9:27 CAT | 10 Mar 2020

File photo: Lusa

Civil groups in the Chókwè district, southern Mozambique, accused Frelimo, the ruling party, of exploiting children in involvement in electoral violence by distributing alcohol to minors to act drunk.

The use of minors by Frelimo during the elections was mentioned in a meeting promoted by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), a Mozambican NGO, in a note released on Monday by this entity.

“There are parties that used alcohol to exploit children during the election campaign. They gave alcohol to under-18s to sabotage the opposition parties’ campaign,” said Aniceto Chaia, an observer in the general elections on 15 October, speaking at the meeting.

Maria Chaúque, a civil activist, said on the occasion that NGO members are persecuted by the authorities because their work is seen as support for the opposition.

“When we go to the secretariat of the neighbourhood to request a [residence] declaration, they refuse to issue the document claiming that we are from the opposition,” Chaúque said.

In Chóckwè district, Gaza province, working for civil society is viewed by the authorities as synonymous with belonging to the opposition.

“As if being a member of the opposition is a crime in Mozambique,” Maria Chaúque said.

The participants in the meeting promoted by the CDD pointed to the murder of the electoral observer Anastácio Matavel, on 7 October of last year, and the arrest of 18 members of the New Democracy, the opposition party, as evidence of political intolerance in Gaza province.

The scandal of the presence on the electoral register in Gaza province of more than 300,000 voters than the census projections of the National Statistics Institute (INE) was also pointed out at the meeting as evidence of voter tampering in favour of Frelimo.

Commenting on the accusations addressed to the authorities in Chókwè, the district police commander, Aníbal Jamal, said the corporation played its role within the law.

“The 18 people were arrested in connection with a complaint that reported illegal elections taking place at polling stations,” Jamal said.

On the murder of the election observer, Jamal said a legal process is underway to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Frelimo won the general election on 15 October with a qualified majority and its presidential candidate won the race for a second and final term at the head of the state.

Source: Lusa