Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane announced on Tuesday 14 January that peaceful demonstrations would continue for another week across the country. The decision continues the protests called for on Saturday (11), which began on the 13th and ended on the 15th of this month, with gatherings in neighbourhoods in different regions.
In a live broadcast on his Facebook page, Mondlane harshly criticised the actions of the police during the protests, condemning the deaths attributed to police action.
‘Which people do you want to govern if you’re killing them?’ he asked, expressing his indignation at the violence.
The candidate also took the opportunity to encourage the protesters not to give up.
‘I want to give the greatest strength to my brothers. Let’s continue with the demonstrations,’ appealed Mondlane, reaffirming that the popular mobilisation will not be interrupted.
‘The truth is that the people will not stop demonstrating. We will continue and we will see if they can govern with demonstrations every week,’ he added.
The protests, which have gained momentum in various regions of the country, have been marked by a strong police presence, generating tensions and debates about the right to demonstrate and the stance of the security forces.
The results proclaimed by the Constitutional Council confirmed Daniel Chapo’s victory, with 65.17 per cent of the votes, while Venâncio Mondlane won 24.19 per cent.
The Mozambican electoral process has been the target of opposition protests and violent incidents since October. Despite recognising some irregularities, the Constitutional Council guaranteed that these did not alter the final result of the elections.
Text: Germano Ndlovo