The president of the Constitutional Council said today that the body has not received any legal appeals in the presidential candidatures, but promises, however, to verify the process "in detail" to ensure "electoral truth".
"It is useful to clarify that the Constitutional Council has not received any legal appeals in the presidential candidatures. I want to say that, on the part of the representatives, of the presidential candidates, we have not received, in the legal appeal phase, any appeals in this election", declared Lúcia Ribeiro, during a meeting with members of the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), which supports the candidature of Venâncio Mondlane.
The results of the October 9 elections announced by the National Elections Commission (CNE) are at stake, giving victory, with 70.67% of the votes, to Daniel Chapo, supported by the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), and which are being contested by Venâncio Mondlane, who has called for a series of demonstrations and strikes.
The protests have brought chaos to the streets in several parts of the country, with at least 110 people dead and more than 300 injured as a result of clashes between police and demonstrators since October 21, according to an updated report released on Tuesday by the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Electoral Platform Decide.
In today's meeting with members of the Podemos party, the CC, the last instance of appeal in electoral disputes, clarified that, although it has not registered any appeal, the organization is also "verifying" the presidential election.
"It is not because we did not have any process in the presidential candidacies that we are not seeing it. We are seeing it. This consists precisely of comparing the minutes and notice of the National Electoral Commission with the minutes and notice of the political parties. This is a meticulous process", stressed the official, adding that it is not an "easy job".
For the president of the Podemos party, the explanation of the CC raises doubts about the transparency of the process, highlighting that the party he leads submitted several documents that reveal a lack of transparency in the general elections, including the presidential elections.
"So far I am not sure that there will be electoral truth (...). The process that we submitted includes the presidential election", stated Albino Forquilha, in statements to the media at the end of the meeting.
The announcement by the CNE on 24 October of the election results, in which Chapo was awarded victory in the presidential elections and the Frelimo party, which strengthened its absolute majority, in the legislative elections, sparked popular protests, called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, which have degenerated into violent clashes with the police.
According to the CNE, Mondlane came in second place, with 20.32%, but the CNE does not recognize the results, which still need to be validated and proclaimed by the Constitutional Council, which could happen by the end of the year.
