Watch: Chants of ‘Povo no Poder’ kick off demonstrations against election results in Maputo, Mozambique

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Watch: Chants of ‘Povo no Poder’ kick off demonstrations against election results in Maputo, Mozambique

6:45 CAT | 17 Oct 2023

Screen grab: Venancio Mondlane on Youtube

Thousands of people gathered in the centre of Maputo today, shouting “People in power!” to the rhymes of the late rapper Azagaia and contesting the announced results of the local elections on the first day of demonstrations called by Renamo.

“Enough! This is enough really, for me,” says Jaime Simango, who joined the demonstration called to contest the results of the October 11 local elections announced by the electoral bodies, in which the largest opposition party did not officially win any municipality.

The first day of national demonstrations with which Renamo intends to contest what it claims to be electoral “mega-fraud”, began today with thousands gathered in the Praça dos Combatentes to protest against the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), welding posters and singing “Povo no Poder” by “people’s rapper” Azagaio, who died last March.

At 45 years of age, Jaime Simango lives from odd jobs and is convinced that the elections in Mozambique “have never been fair” since 1994, leaving the people “tired” and blaming Frelimo, declared the winner in 64 of the 65 municipalities where the vote was held, despite widespread accusations of “electoral fraud” by civil society and political parties.

“It’s not enough to be at home, I have to be here with my brothers,” Jaime says, justifying his presence at this first demonstration with the “manipulation” of the electoral results which, he promises, “they will not be able to do this year” in view of the people’s response.

“It’s difficult to live in this kind of country. We didn’t lend [Frelimo] the country,” Jaime says, adding: “If they loved the people, they wouldn’t be having the elections we’re seeing now.”

With a light police presence monitoring from a distance despite heavy congestion in the Praça dos Combatentes, the challenge to the election results is widespread, and two district courts had already ordered them to be repeated locally to address irregularities.

READ: Mozambique Elections: Police fire tear gas at opposition protest in Maputo

This is historic in Maputo: protesters face the military tank used by the Police. Viva o povo! ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽 pic.twitter.com/Q69drZacvk

— Prof. Dr. Adriano Nuvunga (@adriano_nuvunga) October 17, 2023

Neiva Eunice, 27, is a cashier and left work to attend the march of the largest opposition party before heading to the main streets of Maputo: “If you can see me, my Mozambican brothers, this is the time. We cannot live like tenants in our own country.”

She joined the protest to “express indignation”, first of all at the results announced by the electoral authorities in Maputo, the capital, and Matola, the most populous city in the country, in both of which victory was attributed to Frelimo, despite Renamo’s insistence, on the basis of the vote count from the result sheets (editais), that the party had won in both municipalities and several others across the country.

“We’re very revolted. We’re here because we know that we did not vote for Frelimo,” says one young woman, shouting: “Enough!”

João Tchupela, 64 years old, is already retired, but nevertheless decided to join the march at the starting point. “The people decided as they decided, but there are those who, at this moment, want to be above the law and above the will of the people. That’s why we came to demand our rights, to demand our vote,” he explained.

“It is time to say enough is enough,” with this protest, he says, which Renamo called for an indefinite period of time. “It is time for the will of the people to be respected.”

“They are trying to push the people into war again. But the people are no longer interested in the war,” says Tchupela.

Bento Carlos Mavia is a member of the Renamo National Political Commission and says that the feeling is “generalised” among the population: “No more fraud, no more being led by corrupt people, no more hidden debts, no more everything that is bad for society.”

In this scenario, Renamo promises to contest the announced intermediate results in the courts and with daily street protests.

“We go to the ultimate consequences. We are aware that the regime is hostile, and can even murder, but we all give our lives for the good of the residents of the city of Maputo in particular and of all of Mozambique in general,” Mavia says.

Lívia André, 20 years old, is a street vendor and voted for the first time in these local elections. Today she took to the streets in protest, “against the manipulation of votes”.

“We are tired, they don’t even treat us like people,” she concluded.