Africa-Press – Mozambique. The former president of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, a guest observer at the elections in Angola, recalled on Saturday the post-election crisis in Kenya and asked the Angolan parties not to follow that example and to accept the results after court validation.
On Sunday morning, Joaquim Chissano was received by the Angolan National Electoral Commission (CNE) president and a “comparison was made of what happened in other countries”.
“Two weeks ago, the atmosphere {in Kenya] was calm when I arrived there but the outcome of the elections was not so pretty” and “ended with the electoral commission divided”, explained Joaquim Chissano, in a reference to the clashes in the streets between supporters of the Kenyan vice-president, William Rutto, and of the opposition Raila Odinga, who has announced legal appeals against the results.
In view of what has happened, Chissano does not want to see such a scenario in Angola and called on the Angolan parties to fulfil their own promises to “maintain Angolan unity, to do everything for Angola, so that there is peace, and progress.
For now, “the atmosphere is calm, but some voters may do things that may go against this calmness,” he warned.
“We should trust the electoral bodies and vote according to the law. If there are those who lose, they should accept it even if they disagree,” and then “they can appeal to the courts”, he explained.
“But when the courts give their decision, you must accept it,” recommended the former leader of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), which, like the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in Angola, has ruled Maputo since independence.
Angola will vote on 24 August to choose a new president and new members of parliament.
For More News And Analysis About Mozambique Follow Africa-Press
