Mozambique Elections: Very difficult to assess ‘a clearly fabricated victory’ – Jurist

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Mozambique Elections: Very difficult to assess ‘a clearly fabricated victory’ – Jurist

7:51 CAT | 25 Oct 2024

File photo: Nova Radio Paz - Quelimane /Facebook

Mozambican jurist Borges Nhamirre argued this Friday that the victory of Frelimo and its presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, in the general elections of October 9 was “clearly fabricated” and that observers have proof of this manipulation.

“It is very difficult to assess the victory of the Frelimo candidate because it is a clearly fabricated victory. I am not saying that people do not vote for Frelimo. People do vote [for Frelimo], but they do not vote at the levels shown. So, the 70% obtained by Daniel Chapo and the 76% obtained by the Frelimo party are clearly fabricated,” the jurist said in a phone conversation with Lusa news agency.

On Thursday, the CNE announced the victory of Daniel Chapo, supported by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) in the election for President of the Republic on October 9, with 70.67% of the votes – a result still to be validated by the Constitutional Council.

Venâncio Mondlane, supported by the Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos, an extra-parliamentary party), came in second place, with 20.32% (1,412,517 votes).

In third place was Ossufo Momade, president of Renamo, previously the largest opposition party, with 403,591 votes (5.81%), followed by Lutero Simango, president of MDM, with 223,066 votes (3.21%).

Borges Nhamirre considered that the figures put forward by the CNE do not reflect what happened at the poll.

“This is not what was seen [by the election observers] during the voting processes. This is not what was seen during the electoral campaigns, therefore, these are fabricated results to justify Frelimo having a qualified majority,” he argued.

The Mozambican lawyer also highlighted the stance that the European Union electoral observation mission took in the October 9 elections compared to previous votes it had monitored in Mozambique.

“The evidence of this manipulation of results is there, presented by local and international observers, including the European Union observation mission. This time, in a very different approach from the past, the head of the mission, Laura Ballarín, clearly stated that ballot box stuffing had occurred in ‘x’ number of provinces,” he stressed.

The announcement of the results by the CNE on Thursday came on the first of two days of general strike and demonstrations across the country called by candidate Venâncio Mondlane against this year’s electoral process, which is being marked by clashes between protesters and the police on the main avenues of the Mozambican capital.

The 2024 electoral process has been criticised by international observers, who point out several irregularities, and has been marked by violence, with street protests that led to police intervention with tear gas and shots in the air, and the double murder of two Mondlane supporters, lawyer Elvino Dias and teacher Paulo Guambe, shot dead in an ambush in Maputo on the night of October 18.

Source: Lusa