After calling for new demonstrations for Monday (13) until Wednesday (15), Venâncio Mondlane appealed this Sunday, 12 January, to the police to ensure that the demonstrations take place peacefully. The presidential candidate, supported by the Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos) party, asked the security forces not to use violence against the demonstrators, emphasising that ‘we don’t want the people to see the police as enemies.’
Mondlane, who is contesting the results of the presidential and legislative elections on 9 October 2024, stressed that the police must act to ‘guarantee order and protect citizens’, and not to put citizens at risk. ‘If the police are seen as worse than bandits, kidnappers and abductors, it means that the population can react accordingly,’ he warned.
The candidate also thanked the international community, mentioning the support of some institutions, including the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal, which recommended that the Portuguese government not recognise Mozambique’s election results. ‘I thank the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal and the Liberal Initiative parliamentary group, which has been our half-brother on the Iberian Peninsula,’ said Mondlane.
The candidate clarified that the demonstrations, scheduled to take place from 7am to 5pm from Monday to Wednesday, will be peaceful and will not involve vandalism. ‘It will be a protest against what we consider to be ‘electoral theft’. We will display posters with the photo of the President we really voted for and, during the inauguration of those who don’t respect the will of the people, we will show the world who the real representatives elected by the people are,’ he said.
Mondlane reiterated his proposals for a political dialogue with the current government, focusing on concrete measures for the population. Among them, he emphasised the construction of three million homes in five years, compensation for the victims of police violence during the demonstrations and investment to restore the infrastructure and businesses destroyed during the protests. ‘If these measures are adopted, we will have a good basis for starting a process of reconciliation in the country,’ he concluded.