Mozambique Elections: President calls for patience in wait for election results validation by the CC – Watch

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique Elections: President calls for patience in wait for election results validation by the CC – Watch

5:41 CAT | 05 Nov 2024

Screen grab: TVM

The president of Mozambique said on Tuesday that he has “no difficulty in engaging in dialogue” but warned presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who has called for demonstrations against the official results of the recent elections, that it is necessary to wait for the validation of the election results by the Constitutional Council (CC).

“There are no difficulties in dialogue; it is what I know best how to do. Regardless of whether or not I succeed, I have no difficulties in dialogue. But, if it is not happening, it is a problem, because for there to be dialogue, trust must be created,” Filipe Nyusi declared.

The Mozambican president, who was speaking at a meeting with members of the Justice Administration System on the occasion of Legality Day, defended the creation of “trust” between the parties, but asked that attention be paid to the current political moment.

“Imagine if we sit down with candidate A and B, then we reach a certain conclusion. What does the CC say now? Why don’t we wait? What’s the rush?” he argued, insisting that “we need to respect the stages”. Nyusi called for an end to what he considers “violent demonstrations”, and an end to children’s participation in the marches.

“Sometimes we adhere to things we don’t understand and then we feel the pain of what we do by imitation (…). The infrastructures that are being destroyed, I don’t care if they are political, social or economic, they are all necessary for the country,” Nyusi said, stating that he sees no connection between the destruction of infrastructures and complaints regarding the electoral process. “What is the connection here? I don’t see it. What do we expect? It is purposefully to destroy a country and return to zero and not become a reference in the world?” he asked.

In his speech, Nyusi also warned of the negative consequences of the strikes and the stoppage of activities, noting that tourism is one of the sectors most affected. “We are at the peak of the tourist season, in the summer (…). This will be reflected in the payroll,” Nyusi warned.

Venâncio Mondlane has called for a general strike and demonstrations for a week starting on October 31, with marches in Maputo on 7 November.

The presidential candidate called this the third stage of the challenge to the results of the general elections of October 9, following the protests held on October 21, 24 and 25, which led to clashes with the police, resulting in at least ten deaths, dozens of injuries and 500 arrests, according to the Centre for Public Integrity, a Mozambican non-governmental organization that monitors electoral processes.

The National Elections Commission (CNE) announced on October 24 the victory of Daniel Chapo, supported by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, the party in power since 1975), in the election for President of the Republic on October 9, with 70.67% of the votes.
Venâncio Mondlane, supported by the Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos, an extra-parliamentary party), came in second place, with 20.32%, but stated that he did not recognize these results, which still have to be validated and proclaimed by the Constitutional Council.

In addition to Mondlane, the president of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo, the current largest opposition party), Ossufo Momade, and another of the four presidential candidates, also said that he did not recognize the election results announced by the CNE, calling for the vote to be annulled.

Presidential candidate Lutero Simango, supported by the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), also rejected the results, alleging that they were “forged in the secretariat”, and promising “political and legal action” to restore the “popular will”.