By Ricardo Dias
Maputo (MOZTMES) – The General Secretary of the ruling Frelimo Party, and its candidate in the presidential election, Daniel Chapo, issued a dispatch on Thursday in which he instructed the first secretaries of the party’s provincial committees to prepare festivities celebrating his victory.
The document states that “the members and supporters of the party should hold festive marches welcoming the expressive and convincing victory of the party and the President-elect of the Republic”.
The Constitutional Council should proclaim the results of the general elections on Monday, 23 December, 75 days after the National Elections Commission (CNE) announced victory for Frelimo and Chapo with 70% of the votes.
According to the document, to which MOZTMES has had access, the festive marches to celebrate “our victory” should culminate with rallies where local musicians will perform. The rallies will thank Frelimo militants for the popular trust resulting from its 49 years of governance.
This election result, regarded as the most fraudulent in Mozambican history, is generating generalised protests in society, responding positively to the call for demonstrations made by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane.
The demonstrations have already paralysed the country for about two months, and occurred after the murder of Mondlane’s lawyer, Elvino Dias, and Paulo Guambe, an election agent for Podemos, the main party supporting Mondlane.
Frelimo is calling for resuming the practice from the 1980s, known as “popular vigilance”, in the workplaces and residential areas “faced with the acts of vandalism perpetrated by some candidates defeated in the general and provincial elections of 9 October”, says the letter signed by Daniel Chapo.
The demonstrations have already caused more than 130 deaths. 345 people have suffered injuries from bullets, and more than 3,636 have been arrested, according to the DECIDE electoral platform.
The material damage includes blockading the roads, and burning down Frelimo offices, police posts and other public and private institutions. (RD).
