Protests Disputing Mozambique Presidential Election Turn Violent
Thousands of Mozambicans have protested for weeks following a landslide victory called for the ruling party in Mozambique’s October 9 presidential election.
The results of the election, announced on October 24, extend the reign of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), the party that has been in power since the country’s independence in 1975. Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo received 70 percent of the vote, according to official results. Runner-up Venancio Mondlane, an independent backed by the Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), received 20 percent.
As Mozambique grapples with issues like hunger, poverty, corruption, and jihadist violence, voters had hoped this election would be a chance to progress the nation’s development. The large young population saw the Podemos party as a chance to change up the political dynamics of the country.
Podemos, along with observers in the United StatesUnited States, the African Union, and the European Union, questioned the legitimacy of the results, accusing Frelimo-led Mozambique of vote buying, voter intimidation, and ballot stuffing. These accusations are the latest in Mozambique’s long history of election fraud. In 2023, observers found similar patterns of falsification of poll results in favor of Frelimo.
Opposition Leader Mondlane, who went further to claim he had enough votes to win, fled to South Africa before the official results were announced, according to the BBC. As tensions between voters and the government rose, police fatally shot two members of Podemos, both of whom were close to Mondlane. Observer group Mais Integridade condemned Mondlane’s aides’ murders, decrying them as an “act of intimidation,” but the Frelimo party denied allegations of orchestrating a politically-motivated plot to carry out the killings.
On social media, Mondlane called on his supporters to participate in a national strike and weeks-long protests culminating in a major demonstration in the capital city of Maputo on November 7, which Mondlane dubbed “the day of Mozambique’s freedom.”
Stores and banks across the country closed as a result of the strikes and protests. Mozambique shut down internet access and blocked social media apps. South Africa closed its border with Mozambique, citing increasing violence. The post-election chaos escalated as the weeks went on and police cracked down further, deploying tear gas and shooting live bullets to disperse demonstrators. At least 20 people have died, and dozens more have been injured.
International rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, urged Mozambique’s government, which has a known history of human rights abuses against protestors, to “halt their escalating assault” on people peacefully exercising their civil rights.