Mozambique Elections: Maputo city will not destroy ballot papers because protests have already done so

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Mozambique Elections: Maputo city will not destroy ballot papers because protests have already done so

12:13 CAT | 17 Jan 2025

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

The ballot papers for Mozambique’s October elections must be destroyed today in all districts of the country, but the decision of the National Electoral Commission will not be complied with in the city of Maputo, whose warehouse has already been vandalized.

“We have nothing to destroy, because the warehouse was destroyed in the protests,” Ana Chemane, president of the Electoral Commission of the City of Maputo, told Lusa.

The destruction of the warehouse storing the ballot papers for the general elections in the city of Maputo occurred during the violent protests by supporters of presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane that broke out after the proclamation of the results of the general elections by the Constitutional Council on December 23.

The Mozambican National Elections Commission (CNE) has scheduled the destruction of the ballot papers for the general elections of October 9 for January 17, a step legally required after the conclusion of the electoral process, which is strongly contested in 2024.

According to the CNE’s decision, this involves “the destruction of validly cast ballot papers, blank, void, contested, protested or counter-protested, placed in the custody of the District and City Elections Commissions”, which will take place in all respective facilities.

This is to take place “in the presence of representatives of candidates, political parties, coalitions of political parties, groups of proposing voters, observers, journalists and voters in general”, the decision reads.

It also establishes that the Provincial Elections Commissions “are responsible for full compliance” with this resolution and “for standardizing the practice of the act, and must send the information” to the CNE by January 22.

The general elections held on 9 October included the seventh presidential elections, as well as legislative elections and elections for provincial assemblies and governors. More than 17.1 million voters were registered for these elections, with around half of them casting their ballot.

On 23 December, the Constitutional Council of Mozambique proclaimed Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) candidate Daniel Chapo the winner of the election for President of the Republic, with 65.17% of the votes. He was sworn into office this Wednesday (15-01) in Maputo.

“I hereby proclaim Daniel Francisco Chapo elected President of the Republic of Mozambique,” announced the president of the Constitutional Council, Lúcia Ribeiro, after an hour and a half reading the proclamation ruling, in which she acknowledged irregularities in the electoral process while maintaining that they “did not influence” the final result.

According to the results, Venâncio Mondlane received 24.19% of the votes, Ossufo Momade 6.62% and Lutero Simango 4.02%.

While the ruling announcing the results was being read, which also maintained Frelimo’s majority in parliament, protesters supporting Venâncio Mondlane were already protesting in the streets in a scene of chaos repeated in the following days, with looting, pillaging and destruction of public institutions.

Around 310 people have already died and more than 600 have been shot in protests against the Mozambican electoral process since October 21, according to civil society organizations.

Source: Lusa