- Risk of violence and disruption to public activities
By Sheila Nhancale
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – Former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane has called for a nationwide protest on 13, 14 and 15 January, coinciding with the swearing-in ceremonies of the elected members of the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, and of Daniel Chapo, declared the winner of the 9 October general elections.
“Monday, the 13th, Tuesday, the 14th, and Wednesday, the 15th are crucial days. These three days are decisive for what the people want for their future. They should be days of national strike. We must bring all activities to a halt,” Mondlane stated, in a live broadcast transmitted over his Facebook page on Saturday night. “We should protest on Monday with placards denouncing the traitors of the people. On Wednesday, the 15th, we must protest against the thieves of the people,” he added.
The “traitors” are the newly elected members of parliament, including the 43 from Podemos, the largest opposition party, which supported Mondlane’s bid for the presidency. The “thieves” are Chapo and Frelimo.
In his address, Mondlane once again questioned the legitimacy of the electoral process, criticising what he described as vote manipulation and behind-the-scenes deals.
“The parties that negotiated votes, the ones with arranged votes, will be sworn in on Monday. My question is: will this inauguration, supposedly to represent the people, really represent the people? Or will they only represent their own interests?” he asked.
The opposition leader also criticised the election of the new president, Daniel Chapo, claiming “He was elected by the Constitutional Council, elected by the police…”
Mondlane claims that in reality he won the presidential election but has never produced the polling station results sheet that would prove this.
Despite his criticisms of the authorities and the elections, Mondlane called for peaceful and non-violent demonstrations. “We must express our discontent peacefully, without destroying private or public property, without harming our brothers. This is our constitutional right,” he stressed, urging protesters to conduct themselves in an orderly and respectful manner.
Following the Constitutional Council’s proclamation of Daniel Chapo as the elected President of the Republic on 23rd December, Mondlane led a massive protest movement. In just five days, the demonstrations resulted in 176 deaths, 240 people being shot, 167 arrests, and multiple incidents of looting, arson at police stations, and attacks on Frelimo offices. According to the NGO “Decide” platform, over 294 people have died since the protests began in October, with most of the fatalities attributed to shootings by the police.
Both national and international electoral observation groups reported irregularities during the elections. The European Union’s electoral observation mission highlighted instances of ballot box stuffing in seven provinces and unjustified alterations to results.
The Constitutional Council will conduct the inauguration ceremony for Daniel Chapo as Mozambique’s fifth president on 15 January, while the swearing-in of parliament members will take place on 13 January. (SN)
