Agencia de Información de Mozambique (AIM)   November 20, 2024

   In an interview with AIM, Deputy Foreign Minister Manuel Goncalves said “these observers in general considered that the process from the election campaign to the voting was calm. Indeed, during the campaign the political parties greeted each other as they were campaigning, and there were no incidents”.

   At the close of polls, the count began immediately at the polling stations, said Goncalves, and as the results were announced they were forwarded to the provinces.

   He claimed that, “when only ten per cent of the votes were counted, one of the candidates proclaimed himself elected”. Referring to independent presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, Goncalves said “he not only declared himself the winner, but also mobilised his supporters to begin demonstrations”.

   “Demonstrations in Mozambique are envisaged in the law, but the Constitution itself remits to a specific law the regulations under which demonstrations may be held”, he added.

   Asked whether the demonstrators are criminals, Goncalves replied “nobody has said that the demonstrators are criminals. I think that the police at no time said that the demonstrators are criminals, but they become criminals when they destroy infrastructures and that is why some are being taken to court to answer for their actions”.

   He said that the form taken by the demonstrations is not what is envisaged in the law. “What we are witnessing right now is vandalism, the destruction of public and private property, the looting of goods, particularly those belonging to shopkeepers”.

   Under these circumstances, he said, the police “were called upon to restore law and order where necessary. The situation in the country is worrying because there is vandalism, and we are seeing the deaths of innocent people”.

   He said that the 9 October elections observed all the phases in front of representatives of political parties and other stakeholders.

   “Furthermore, the law envisages that, in the event of any dispute, any party has the possibility of raising its concerns”, Goncalves pointed out. “Some of these have been judged, and others are being analysed by the Constitutional Council. So let’s wait for the Constitutional Council”.

   Asked about accusations that the police have been killing innocent civilians, the Deputy Minister said the government recognises that some “stray bullets” had hit and killed childen.

   As for the murders, on 19 October, of Venancio Mondlane’s lawyer, Elvino Dias, and of Paulo Guambe, an election agente of the Podemos party, which supported Mondlane’s presidential bid, Goncalves said the government is waiting for the outcome of the investigations.

   “We don’t want deaths, and assassinations must be investigated”, he said. “We have national institutions that are working. We all condemned this act. The government condemned it, the President of the Republic condemned it, the international community condemned it. But we need to be calm so that the institutions of justice investigate and reach their conclusions. We need to know the truth. It’s not right to accuse the government or relate the killings with the elections”.