Mozambique Elections: No ‘subject’ to discuss at meeting, process is ‘mathematical’ – Podemos

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Mozambique Elections: No ‘subject’ to discuss at meeting, process is ‘mathematical’ – Podemos

2:00 CAT | 21 Nov 2024

File photo: O País

The leader of the Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), Albino Forquilha, said on Wednesday that he fails to see “the subject” of the meeting requested by the Mozambican president with the four presidential candidates, arguing instead for a “transparent” recount of the votes in order to stop demonstrations.

“The country’s president has met with political parties and now he is asking the presidential candidates to meet with him. What does he want to talk to the candidates about? What will this solve, if the dispute over electoral justice pertains simply to a mathematical process which determines who won and who didn’t?” asked the leader of the party that supports candidate Venâncio Mondlane.

The first action, Forquilha said, should be to restore “electoral justice”.

“What are they going to talk about? I do not see any subject. If you’re worried about what’s happening, tell the Constitutional Council (CC) to check the data transparently,” he added, arguing in addition that the process should be witnessed by national and international observers and journalists in order to ensure its transparency.

On Tuesday (19-11) , Mozambican president Filipe Nyusi invited the four presidential candidates to a meeting, including Venâncio Mondlane, and said that the violent post-election demonstrations were creating “chaos” and that “spreading fear in the streets” was weakening the country.

“I promise that, until the last day of my mandate, I will use all my energy to pacify Mozambique, I will. But for me to succeed in this mission, we need all of us and each one of you (…) Mozambicans have to be together to solve the problems,” said Nyusi.

In his statements to Lusa this Wednesday, the Podemos leader criticised ad hoc revisions of the electoral law in Mozambique, including the elimination of the powers of the district courts to order the recounting of votes in elections, acts that are now the exclusive competence of the Constitutional Council (CC), saying that they are an “attempt to protect the loser” in elections.

“The recounting of votes in the districts would have been carried out in the presence of the parties’ election agents [mandatários]. Today, how is the CC going to be able to do the same job without the presence of the mandatários and other players? We’ve sent [to the Constitutional Council] a set of evidence and, so far, we have no information on any mandatários having been called [for recount],” Forquilha complained, promising that the demonstrations would continue until the “electoral truth” is restored.

“We will continue to demonstrate to press for justice to be done. After the CC’s decision, where else is there for an appeal to be filed? Anyone who then goes and complains [against the final results] is considered disobedient. Therefore, the time to make that foray is now, before the results are announced,” he concluded.

Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane on Tuesday called on Mozambicans to observe three days of national mourning for the ‘50 fatalities’ in the post-election demonstrations, starting today, including a 15-minute traffic halt and horn-honking protest.

READ: Mozambique: Traffic stops in Maputo to protest against election results – photos

Mondlane disputes the attribution of victory to Daniel Chapo, the candidate supported by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, in power), with 70.67% of the votes, according to the results announced by the CNE on 24 October, yet to be validated by the Constitutional Council.

Source: Lusa