Mozambique: Mondlane denies breaking the law, accuses PGR of being ‘politicized’

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Mozambique: Mondlane denies breaking the law, accuses PGR of being ‘politicized’

1:25 CAT | 28 Jan 2025

File photo: Lusa

Former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane has accused the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) of Mozambique of being a “politicized” institution on Monday, denying that the “governance measures for 100 days” announced by him constitute any type of legal crime.

“This statement from the PGR shows that it is too politicized, and this is sad because it shows, once again, that we need to de-politicize our state, there is too much partisanship within the justice institutions and this is worrying,” Mondlane declares in a live broadcast from his official Facebook account.

The PGR announced yesterday the opening of proceedings considering that the self-proclaimed “presidential decree” of Venâncio Mondlane “subverts” the principles of the democratic state.

“As a result of the facts, appropriate proceedings have been instituted to hold the person accountable,” reads a statement sent to Lusa by the Attorney General’s Office.

“The publication of the alleged decree, by the same citizen, constitutes a flagrant violation (…) of the Constitution of the Republic, since this act constitutes a prerogative reserved for the competent bodies of the State and is published in the Official Gazette,” it adds.

Venâncio Mondlane responded by accusing the Attorney General’s Office of being a “vehicle of terror” and denied having committed any type of crime in the publication of what he called his measures for the first 100 days of government in the ‘Jornal do Povo’, arguing that they do not conflict with Mozambican legislation, since the acts of the President of the Republic are published in the Official Gazette.

“We published the act of the President of the Republic in the Jornal do Povo, so if it is in the Boletim da República, then there is no wrongdoing, it means that there is absolutely no violation,” Mondlane said, citing articles of the Mozambican Constitution.

In the same statement, the PGR also states that it was “aware”, referring to one of the 30 measures published by Venâncio Mondlane, “of the alleged election and swearing-in of neighbourhood secretaries, locality chiefs, administrative posts and district administrators in various parts of the country, outside the legally established norms for this purpose”.

Venâncio Mondlane again cited the Constitution of the Republic, arguing that any political party is free to organize elections at a national level as long as they are not contrary to democratic practices and do not violate the laws in force and their legally established institutions.

“The Constitution says that we can create various forms of organization that are not specifically provided for within the systems, as long as this does not contradict the Constitution or its values,” Mondlane argued.

‘Clandestine press’?

Mondlane also stated that his publication, entitled ‘Jornal do Povo’, is part of what he called “digital communication”, and argued – after consulting the Information Office (GABINFO), the body that coordinates and supervises the media in Mozambique – that it is a “free” creation in Mozambique, after the PGR claiming that ‘Jornal do Povo’ is not registered with GABINFO and is therefore a “clandestine press”.

Since October 21, Mozambique has been experiencing a climate of social unrest, with protests and strikes called by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane. Violent clashes between the police and demonstrators have resulted in at least 315 deaths, including those of around two dozen minors, and around 750 people suffering gunshot wounds, according to the electoral platform Decide, a non-governmental organization which monitors electoral processes.

Source: Lusa