Mozambique elections: Nine members of main opposition party arrested in Sofala

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Mozambique elections: Nine members of main opposition party arrested in Sofala

4:24 CAT | 16 Oct 2019

in file CoM

The Mozambique Police (PRM) announced today that they have arrested nine members of the main opposition party, Renamo, when they attempted to remove ballot boxes from a polling station in Sofala’s Machanga district, and vandalised infrastructure.

PRM spokesman Orlando Mudumane told a press conference in Maputo that the nine people were accused of having led about 300 Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) supporters trying to remove the ballot boxes during vote counting at Inharingue Primary School.

“They claimed they wanted to control the votes despite all the calls we made for people to wait for the results at home,” the spokesman said, adding that the authorities succeeded in controlling the situation only after the group vandalised school facilities and destroyed five neighbouring houses.

“The police intervened and managed to prevent them from removing the ballot boxes. But then they set fire to five precarious houses near the school,” he added.

Renamo spokesman Jose Manteigas said that an official statement would be issued soon.

Mozambican police reported a total of 73 arrests during voting and counting in Tuesday’s general elections in Mozambique, but called the process “orderly and peaceful overall.

Since the closing of the polls on Tuesday, counting of votes has been taking place at the 20,162 polling stations where Mozambicans voted to choose the next president, 250 parliamentarians, and ten provincial governors and assemblies.

The law provides for the official announcement of the results to be made by the National Election Commission by the 30th of the month, but the tally in each of the 11 provinces will be known days before that.

Source: Lusa