Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), the ruling party, this Saturday asked the police authorities to “clarify” the double homicide of two top aides of presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, classifying the crime as a “macabre act”.
“Frelimo vehemently repudiates this macabre act and urges all authorities to do everything in their power to clarify this case”, reads the Frelimo party press release, sent to Lusa news agency.
The Mozambican police confirmed today that the vehicle in which Elvino Dias, lawyer for presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, and Paulo Guambe, party agent [mandatário] of Podemos,, the party that supports Mondlane’s candidacy, were travelling, were shot dead, and a third occupant was injured.
“They were approached and blocked by two light vehicles from which individuals disembarked, armed with firearms, and fired several shots that caused injuries and the death of the individuals identified above,” Leonel Muchina, spokesperson for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Maputo city, told Lusa.
The crime took place at around 11:20 pm local time on Friday, on Avenida Joaquim Chissano, in the city centre, According to the police, another occupant, a woman who was travelling in the back seat of the vehicle, was also shot and taken to Maputo Central Hospital.
Lawyer Elvino Dias, a well-known defender of human rights cases in Mozambique, was a legal advisor to Venâncio Mondlane and the Democratic Alliance Coalition (CAD), a political group that initially supported that candidate for President of the Republic of Mozambique, until its registration for the general elections of October 9 was rejected by the National Electoral Commission (CNE). Venâncio Mondlane would later be supported in his candidacy by the Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos) party, whose national representative for the legislative and provincial lists, Paulo Guambe, was also in the vehicle targeted by the crime.
The general elections of October 9 included the seventh presidential elections – in which the current head of state, Filipe Nyusi, has no longer run, having reached the limit of two terms – simultaneously with the seventh legislative elections and the fourth for provincial assemblies and governors. The CNE has 15 days after the polls close to announce the official results of the elections, which is set to be October 24. The Constitutional Council will then be responsible for announcing the results, after it has also concluded its analysis of any appeals, but there is no set deadline for this purpose.
The district and provincial election commissions have already completed the vote count for the general elections on October 9, which according to public announcements give an advantage to the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, the ruling party) and the presidential candidate supported by the party, Daniel Chapo, with over 60% of the votes, although presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane disputes these results, citing data from the original voting minutes and notices that he has collected from all over the country.
Venâncio Mondlane assured on Thursday, in Beira, central Mozambique, that after the announcement of the results of the general elections he will appeal to the Constitutional Council, with the original voting minutes and result sheets (editais).
The Portuguese Government, the European Union and the diplomatic representations in Maputo of the United States of America, Canada, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom today condemned these murders, calling for a full and swift investigation.
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