Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the main opposition party, is this Tuesday promoting a “mega gathering” in Maputo city, in protest against the results of the October 11 municipal elections proclaimed on Friday by the Constitutional Council (CC).
Renamo’s head of list in the Maputo municipality, Venâncio Mondlane, announced that, in addition to speaking at the “mega concentration”, scheduled to take place in the Xipamanine Market, one of the largest in the Mozambican capital, he will invite people to a demonstration concerning the CC’s decision, in a march which will depart at 10:30 a.m..
“Now the time has come. We have been marching for almost 40 days [from the elections to the reading of the ruling], now it is time for the people to act”, declared Mondlane.
The politician reiterated the main opposition party’s claim of victory in the local elections, accusing the CC of a “deficit of reasoning” in the decision that validates and proclaims the results of the vote.
The president of Renamo, the main Mozambican opposition party, Ossufo Momade, said on Saturday, in Maputo, that the organization does not recognize the results of the local elections proclaimed by the CC, calling on the population to demonstrate.
The CC, the last instance of appeal in electoral processes in Mozambique, proclaimed, on Friday, the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), the party in power, winner of the municipal elections on October 11 in 56 municipalities, including Maputo, against the previous 64, with Renamo winning four, and had elections repeated in four others.
“In view of this shame for democracy and the denial of the will of Mozambicans, the Renamo party reiterates that it does not recognize the published results,” said the president of Renamo, at a press conference.
The main political force of the opposition “encourages all Mozambicans to continue with the demonstrations”, Momade continued.
Ossufo Momade held the President of the Republic and Frelimo, Filipe Nyusi, the CC and electoral bodies responsible for the consequences that could result from demonstrations against the results of the local elections, without specifying the possible effect of these popular actions.
Momade claimed Renamo’s victory in the municipalities of the cities of Maputo, Matola, Nampula, Moatize, Lichinga and Cuamba and in the towns of Ilha de Moçambique and Ribaué.
The CC proclaimed Frelimo the winner of the local elections in Maputo, but cut almost 30,000 votes that had previously been attributed to the ruling party in the capital by the National Elections Commission (CNE).
Since October, Mondlane has led dozens of demonstrations and marches in Maputo city, two of which involved police intervention, contesting the first electoral results released by the National Elections Commission(CNE), a movement that spread to other municipalities in the country.
According to the unanimously approved CC ruling, Frelimo maintained its victory in the capital, but with 206,333 votes and 37 mandates. Razaque Manhique, Frelimo head of list, was proclaimed by the CC as the new mayor of Maputo.
However, on October 26, the CNE, after carrying out the intermediate and general count, had attributed the victory to Frelimo, but with 234,406 votes and 43 mandates.
Following the appeals presented, the CC reassessed the electoral process and attributed 29,073 votes to the Renamo list, led by Venâncio Mondlane, who claimed victory based on parallel counting of the original tabulation minutes and notices (editais).
For More News And Analysis About Mozambique Follow Africa-Press
