Mozambique Elections: Chapo confirms presence at presidential candidate meeting

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Mozambique Elections: Chapo confirms presence at presidential candidate meeting

2:06 CAT | 25 Nov 2024

File photo: Lusa

The Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo, the ruling party) confirmed on Monday that presidential candidate Daniel Chapo will attend the meeting scheduled by the Mozambican President on Tuesday with the four contenders to discuss the post-election period.

“Presidential candidate Daniel Francisco Chapo [supported by Frelimo] confirms his participation in the meeting, reaffirming his commitment to promoting political stability in the country,” according to a note from the party, sent to Lusa today.

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Presidential candidate Ossufo Momade, leader of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), also accepted the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi’s invitation to this meeting, provided that the four candidates who ran take part, the largest opposition party announced on Sunday.

The decision was made public by Renamo’s spokesman, Marcial Macome, after a meeting of the party’s political commission, held on Sunday in Maputo, but with the requirement that the meeting with the head of state include all the candidates.

“This meeting only makes sense if all the candidates are present,” said Marcial Macome, although he acknowledged that, for security reasons, some candidates could participate remotely.

According to the Renamo spokesman, the largest opposition party is bringing to the meeting, among the “main points”, the “annulment” of the electoral process involving the general elections of 9 October, with allegations of various irregularities, and that “all the candidates recognise that this process was neither free nor fair, much less transparent”.

Candidate Lutero Simango, who is also the leader of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM, the second largest opposition party), has already called for the general elections to be cancelled and for the vote to be repeated, with the same arguments, has already confirmed that he agrees to take part in the meeting, as long as all four candidates are present.

On Friday, presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane demanded the immediate elimination of the legal proceedings against him brought by the Mozambican Public Prosecutor’s Office and his participation by virtual means as a condition for participating in the meeting.

In the document submitted to the Presidency of the Republic and the Attorney General’s Office, containing terms of reference and agenda proposals, Mondlane made the meeting scheduled for Tuesday between the head of state and the four presidential candidates conditional on the “release of all those detained as part of the demonstrations” he called for, and then asked for “guarantees of political and legal security for the actors and players in the dialogue”.

“The immediate restoration of fundamental rights and freedoms that have now been restricted in the face of illegal, partial and immoral legal proceedings brought by the PGR (…) is essential. This has culminated in their bank accounts being blocked, arrest orders being issued, and search and arrest warrants being issued,” reads the document, which contains more than 20 other demands.

Sources from the candidates confirmed to Lusa that the Mozambican head of state has invited the candidates for the October presidential elections to a meeting on 26 November to “discuss the situation in the country in the post-election period”.

The meeting will take place in Filipe Nyusi’s office in Maputo on Tuesday at 16:00 (14:00 in Lisbon), according to the same sources, involving candidates Daniel Chapo, Venâncio Mondlane, Lutero Simango and Ossufo Momade.

Mondlane, who doesn’t accept the results announced by the National Electoral Commission (CNE), which still have to be validated by the Constitutional Council, pointing to various irregularities in the electoral process, rejects a dialogue “behind closed doors” and with “little secrets”.

The presidential candidate is contesting the award of victory to Daniel Chapo, the candidate supported by the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), with 70.67% of the vote, according to the results announced on 24 October by the CNE.

Source: Lusa