By Ricardo Dias
Maputo (MOZTIMES)– The Mozambican Bar Association (OAM) stated in a communiqué issued this Friday that the most reasonable course of action would be for the Constitutional Council (CC) to annul the elections or order a vote recount, given the discrepancies in the results submitted by the National Election Commission (CNE) for validation.
The election results are being challenged by the runner-up presidential candidate, Venâncio Mondlane, and his supporting party, PODEMOS, which also placed second in the parliamentary elections.
“Ongoing protests in the country have escalated into social unrest. Therefore, we believe that a potential recount or annulment of the election results would serve as a point of convergence and harmony for society,” the statement, distributed to journalists, reads.
The OAM acknowledges that this would be a difficult but necessary decision to calm tensions arising from the protests called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who disputes the results that declared victory for Daniel Chapo and the ruling FRELIMO party, in power since 1975.
The Bar Association’s stance comes after the CC held meetings with opposition party leaders from PODEMOS and RENAMO. Additionally, the CC’s president, Lúcia Ribeiro, gave an interview to STV, a television channel, outlining the details of the ongoing electoral results validation process.
“If the CC’s genuine intent was to enhance the credibility of the electoral process through greater transparency, it should then promote a public hearing on the process, with the presence of representatives, journalists, and election observers, producing legal and admissible evidence,” the Bar Association added.
The lawyers reminded the CC that the National Electoral Commission (CNE) admitted it had no plausible justification for the discrepancies in voter numbers across different elections. Furthermore, there was a high rate of abstentions in all electoral districts and a significant number of blank and null votes.
The Bar Association asserts that by correcting irregularities in the tally sheets and electoral result summaries, the Constitutional Council is performing the role of the Electoral Administration rather than that of an electoral arbiter. Instead, the CC should order the National Electoral Commission (CNE) to recount the votes or annul the entire electoral process. (RD)
