Mozambique: Mozambique’s Highest Court Upholds Victory for the Ruling Frelimo Party

Maputo — Mozambique’s top court has declared election victory for the country’s ruling Frelimo Party and its 47-year-old presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, in an election process marred by widespread rigging that sparked nearly two months of violent protests, causing the deaths of more than 100 people and injuring several others. Frelimo has been in power for 49 years.

After more than 55 days of waiting, the chairperson of the Constitutional Council, Lucia Ribeiro, on Monday acknowledged irregularities in the election but said this did not substantially influence the results, and that Daniel Chapo of the governing Frelimo Party won with 65.17% of the vote, while opposition politician Venâncio Mondlane had 24.29%.

The Constitutional Council also gave Frelimo a majority in parliament and all the 10 provincial governors.

The results were initially announced by the National Election Commission in late October and triggered protests for more than eight weeks after Mondlane rejected the result and called for protests that resulted in at least 130 deaths in clashes with the police.

“One, proclaims citizen Daniel Francisco Chapo, elected president of the Republic of Mozambique. Two, validates the results of the parliamentary elections on October 9, 2024,” said Ribeiro.

According to the final ruling, for parliament, Frelimo’s number of seats was cut from 195 to 169. The Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique, which supported Mondlane, remains the second-largest party. Its number of seats increased from 31 to 43.

Mozambique held several elections on October 9: presidential, legislative and provincial. The results announced by the National Election Commission in October gave victory to Chapo.

In his acceptance speech on Monday, Chapo said he is ready to serve the interests of all Mozambicans and not just for his party and promised to introduce several reforms.

“It has become clear during these days that our electoral system needs profound reforms, and we all agree,” said Chapo. “We need to build a new democratic architecture that responds to the aspirations of our society and not just partisan interests. I want to take this opportunity to say that I am willing to lead this reform process of our society and not just partisan interests. I want to take this opportunity to say that I am willing to lead this reform process.”

Soon after the announcement of the results, Mondlane’s supporters again protested in the capital, Maputo, burning tires and blocking roads.

Mondlane accused Frelimo of rigging the vote and called for a national shutdown starting this Friday.

Human rights activist and director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights Adriano Nuvunga says the results proclaimed by the Constitutional Council will only bring problems to the country instead of solving them.

“It is unbelievable that the Constitutional Council read these results knowing that the general state of the nation in Mozambique feels attacked by these results. This would have been the moment for the Council bringing the nation together, mobilizing to find a formula for everyone to feel represented in what will be the next government,” said Nuvunga.

Multiple human rights organizations reported that violent and repressive measures were used by security forces against protesters who were taking part in peaceful demonstrations. At least 300 protesters have been arrested since October in connection with these demonstrations.

With all the contesting parties rejecting the results on Monday, violent protests will continue in Mozambique at least for the coming weeks.