Mozambique’s ruling party candidate Daniel Chapo was declared the winner of the country’s presidential election on Thursday amid allegations that the vote was rigged and after two opposition officials were killed by unknown gunmen.
Chapo of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique party, or Frelimo, received 70.67 percent of the national vote, according to the national election commission. Officials said independent candidate Venancio Mondlane got 20.32 percent of the vote, while Ossufo Momade of the Renamo party received 5.81 percent of the total votes.
The results of the October 9 election mean Frelimo will extend its 49 years in power, but Mondlane and his supporters, as well as outside observers, were already disputing the results before the outcome was announced. Though Mondlane ran as an independent, he was supported by the PODEMOS opposition party.
Tensions were further escalated when Mondlane’s lawyer, Elvino Dias, and the spokesperson of PODEMOS, Paulo Guambe, were gunned down in their car by unidentified shooters on October 18.
What’s Been the Aftermath of the Killings?
Adriano Nuvunga, director of Mozambique’s Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD), told Reuters by telephone that the two men “were brutally assassinated (in a) cold-blooded murder.”
The European Union also spoke out against the killings in a Saturday statement and said it was calling for “an immediate, thorough and transparent investigation that will bring to justice those responsible for this outrageous crime, provide clarity on the circumstances in which it occurred, and looks forward to reactions by the Mozambican Government.”
Earlier this week, Mondlane called on his supporters to not go to work as a protest against the election results. However, while he was speaking with members of the press on Monday in Mozambique’s capital of Maputo near the area where Dias and Guambe were gunned down, police officers fired tear gas in his direction.
In footage that was shared on social media, Mondlane, his supporters and reporters can be seen running for cover as tear gas canisters land near them. Local media reported that a member of the press was injured during the incident.
The opposition figure also said authorities had attempted to keep him from Monday’s protests.
“The whole of last night, police cars were at my doorstep,” Mondlane told reporters. “I was trying to find other ways to leave the house without being noticed. I did. I won’t say how.”
After the results of the election were announced on Thursday, Chapo addressed his supporters and condemned the previous week’s killings.
“As the Frelimo party, we want to once again reiterate our repudiation of the murders of Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe as well as other citizens physically affected in this ongoing process of demonstrations,” Chapo said.
What Happens Next?
While the national election commission released the results of the election, the country’s Constitutional Council still has the final say and could consider appeals from the opposition.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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