Pro-Venâncio Mondlane protesters took to the streets of Maputo, burning tires and blocking avenues, in protest against the election results published this Thursday, which give victory to Frelimo.
While the CNE announced the electoral results of Mozambique, with Frelimo electing Daniel Chapo President of the Republic and reinforcing the absolute parliamentary majority, pro-Venâncio Mondlane protesters took to the streets of Maputo, burning tires and blocking avenues.
For four hours, starting at 2:30 p.m. local time (one hour less in Lisbon), the results announced in Maputo gave victory to the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo, the party in power) in the presidential, legislative and provincial elections , at the same time that the police began to launch tear gas to disperse the protesters, summoned by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who were burning tires and throwing stones on Joaquim Chissano Avenue.
Cinematic teams, armored vehicles of the Rapid Intervention Unit and dozens of heavily armed agents, with the support of a helicopter, tried to control the protesters, amid an intense smell of tear gas that invaded the surrounding neighborhoods, making the air unbreathable. , and the circulation of fire vehicles to extinguish fires.
“All ads are wrong. we will not admit it“said one of the protesters, with a scarf over his face, next to the barricades isolated by the police.
“70% is not possible,” said another, alluding to the election results, demanding “justice.”
Maputo. Burned tires and shots fired on Avenida Joaquim Chissano
In what was the first of two days of strike and demonstration called by Venâncio Mondlane, who already said that he did not recognize the results of the intermediate electoral count, confirmed this Thursday by the announcement of the general count by the National Electoral Commission (CNE). . ), several outbreaks quickly emerged throughout the capital, aggravated by the darkness that was beginning to fall on the capital.
“The country is burning,” said another protester, on Julius Nyerere Avenue, another main artery partially cut off with tires and scattered garbage containers, which could only be reached amid shouts of “journalists.”
“Venâncio already said that tomorrow will be the same, we are tired. we are tired“said a protester there.
On Concordos Avenue in Lusaka, another main artery of the city of Maputo, the scene was identical and at the entrance the police were already blocking access, with smoke and burning tires in the background, to the fear of many who passed by on foot.
“The situation here is not good (…) I had to look at the situation there again, there are a lot of people there around the [avenida] “Joaquim Chissano is not well,” one of these people said apprehensively.
“I’ll try to get home. “I will get home, I have faith in that,” he added.
In the house next door, another young man passing by jumped over the fence of a parking lot to protect himself, when the police used tear gas to control the protesters on the same avenue, littered with stones, around five in the afternoon, local time.
“We are suffering. came in [o gás] in the nose, in the mouth, we are very bad,” he explained, on the other side of the bars, where he found some protection.
“There were people to sell, they all ran away,” he further reported.
At the beginning of the night, gunshots could still be heard in some neighborhoods of the city and the National Highway 4 (N4), which connects Maputo with Ressano García, on the border with South Africa, was also cut off by burning tires. , in front of a strong police apparatus at the scene.
On Joaquim Chissano Avenue, in the center of the capital, where the murder of Elvino Dias, Venâncio Mondlane’s lawyer, and Paulo Guambe, representative of Podemos, the party that supports this candidate, took place on Friday night, one could see stones on the ground. launched by protesters against the police.
This Thursday, the CNE announced the results of the general count of the October 9 elections – presidential, legislative and for the provincial assemblies -, announcing the victory of Frelimo, with 11 more deputies than it already had in parliament, and his presidency. candidate, Daniel Chapo, with 70.67% of the votes, results that still need validation by the Constitutional Council.
Venâncio Mondlane, supported by the Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique ( Podemos, until now extra-parliamentary), and which came in second place with 20.32% of the votes, had called for two days of general strike for this Thursday and Friday and demonstrations. throughout the country in protest at the way the electoral process was developed.
On Monday, there had already been clashes between protesters and the police, who responded with gunshots and tear gas, causing at least 16 injuries, including journalists, according to a hospital source.
Source: Observadora
