Election monitors from the European Union (EU) have reported that certain voting results in Mozambique appear to have been tampered with, amid escalating unrest in the nation.
On Monday, thousands of individuals participated in opposition protests organized by independent presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane.
Mondlane accuses security forces of fatally shooting his lawyer, Elvino Dias, along with another political official, Paulo Guambe, who were in the same vehicle last Friday. The security forces, however, deny any misconduct.
Official results from the general election, which took place on October 9, are expected to be announced by Friday.
Evidence has been found of “irregularities during counting and unjustified alteration of election results at polling station and district level”, said the EU observer mission in a statement on Tuesday.
It is now urging “the electoral bodies to conduct the tabulation process in a transparent and credible manner, ensuring the traceability of polling station results”.
Vote-buying, inflated voter rolls in strongholds of the governing Frelimo party and voter intimidation have all been reported by the US-based International Republican Institute, which also sent a multinational election observer mission to the southern African nation.
Mozambique’s national results are meant to be published on the electoral commission’s website for all to see, but last month the body said its website had suffered a cyber-attack. The website remains inactive.
Fifty-year-old presidential hopeful Venâncio Mondlane, who has the backing of f opposition party Podemos, has already claimed victory and alleges that the killing of his aides on Friday night was politically motivated.
“This was a crime committed by the defence and security forces. There’s no doubt about it. The special forces killed Elvino [Dias],” he has said.
Mondlane urged citizens in various cities throughout Mozambique to protest against the killings and what he claims is electoral fraud.
On Monday, police responded with live ammunition, tear gas, armored vehicles, and police dogs to disperse demonstrators at the site in the capital, Maputo, where Dias and Guambe were killed.
Protesters also blocked roads using burning tires and makeshift barricades.
Videos captured moments when Mondlane and journalists sought cover after gunfire erupted in their direction.
Local media outlets reported numerous arrests and at least 16 injuries requiring hospitalization across the cities of Maputo, Beira, and Nampula.
While shops and businesses were closed on Monday, many began reopening on Tuesday.
The funeral for Dias is scheduled for Wednesday, and Mondlane has called for additional protests on Thursday and Friday.
There is mounting pressure on Mozambican authorities to identify and prosecute those responsible for the killings, following strong denunciations from former President Armando Guebuza, as well as the UN, US, and EU.
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Celebrated Mozambican author Mia Couto has called the killings a “crime against the nation”.
Mozambique has only ever been governed by one party – Frelimo – which has ruled since independence from Portugal.
The country is guaranteed a new president because President Filipe Nyusi is stepping down after serving the two-term limit.
The Frelimo candidate is 47-year-old Daniel Chapo.
His rivals in this election are Mondlane, Ossufo Momade – the former rebel commander-turned-leader of the main opposition party Renamo – and Lutero Simango from the Mozambique Democratic Movement.