The president of the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos) today admitted the possibility of presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane becoming leader of that political force, which is recording electoral results that place him in the next parliament.
"If Venâncio Mondlane actually becomes a member of the party, he could very well become president (...) The bodies could vote in that direction", stated Albino Forquilha, speaking at a press conference called to denounce an alleged "fraud" in the general elections of the 9th.
Results from some of the 11 Mozambican electoral districts already released by the provincial electoral bodies place Venâncio Mondlane and the party that supports him, Podemos, as the second most voted in the presidential and legislative elections, respectively, behind Daniel Chapo and the party that supports him, the Liberation Front of Mozambique (Frelimo), the ruling party.
According to Mozambican law, the president of the party with the most votes in the legislative elections gains the status of leader of the opposition, having access to a budget and benefits, as well as a seat on the Council of State.
Venâncio Mondlane is not a member of Podemos, having only signed an alliance agreement to support his candidacy in the presidential elections and for that political party's candidacy in the legislative elections.
Mondlane joined Podemos after the CAD, a coalition of extra-parliamentary parties that supported his presidential candidacy, was disqualified by the Constitutional Council (CC).
Mondlane left the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the main opposition party, this year after being prevented from running for president of the organization, in a context of disagreements with the leadership of that political party.
Podemos, registered in May 2019, is the result of a split by former members of Frelimo, who called for more "economic inclusion", and left the party in power at the time, claiming "disenchantment" and different ambitions.
According to electoral legislation, the provincial results should be counted by the end of today, with the count at the level of the country's 154 districts having been completed over the weekend.
The publication of the results of the presidential election by the National Electoral Commission, if there is no second round, takes up to 15 days (counted after the polls close), before they are sent for validation by the Constitutional Council, which has no deadline to proclaim the official results after analyzing possible appeals.
The vote included legislative elections (250 deputies) and for provincial assemblies and respective provincial governors, in this case with 794 mandates to be distributed.
The CNE approved lists of 35 political parties running for the Assembly of the Republic and 14 political parties and groups of citizens voting for the provincial assemblies.
