The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) announced today that it has opened criminal proceedings against presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane and his supporters for the escalation of post-election violence in the country.
"The PRM has already opened a criminal case against Venâncio Mondlane and his supporters for the crimes of burning down a police station and seizing an AK-47 firearm, acts that have caused unrest not only in the Moma district but also in the province of Nampula itself," said the police spokesman, Orlando Mudumane, today.
The protests called by Venâncio Mondlane on 24 and 25 October throughout the country - which he called peaceful - culminated in clashes between the police and citizens. In the Moma district, Nampula province, in northern Mozambique, the police authorities are holding him and his supporters responsible for setting fire to a police station and seizing a firearm.
At a press conference to provide an update on the protests called by Venâncio Mondlane, the Mozambican police said that they will continue to work to ensure public order and security, but asked for "non-compliance with acts of violence and public vandalism".
"The PRM demands that citizen Venâncio Mondlane and the Podemos party immediately return the AK-47 firearm that their members seized at the Chalaua police station, in the Moma district, in the province of Nampula", warned Orlando Mudumane.
"The violent acts against police institutions and PRM members resulted in 21 PRM members being injured, between serious and minor, one death and the vandalism of three vehicles and two homes, including this time the police station, which was burned down", added the police spokesperson.
Mozambique's National Electoral Commission (CNE) announced on Thursday the victory of Daniel Chapo, supported by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, the party in power since 1975) in the presidential election on 9 October, with 70.67% of the votes.
Venâncio Mondlane, supported by the Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos, an extra-parliamentary party), came in second place, with 20.32%, but says he does not recognise these results, which have yet to be validated and proclaimed by the Constitutional Council.
Frelimo also strengthened its parliamentary majority, increasing from 184 to 195 deputies (out of 250), and elected all 10 of the country's provincial governors.
In addition to Mondlane, the president of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo, the current largest opposition party), Ossufo Momade, one of the four presidential candidates, said he did not recognize the election results announced by the CNE and called for the vote to be annulled.
On Thursday, presidential candidate Lutero Simango, supported by the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), also rejected the results, saying they were "forged in the secretariat", and promised "political and legal action" to restore the "will of the people".
The announcement of the results by the CNE once again sparked violent protests and clashes with the police in Mozambique, especially in Maputo, by pro-Venâncio Mondlane demonstrators.
