Portugal’s government has argued that any efforts by the European Union to calm the situation in Mozambique, where there has been a wave of protests following the recent general elections, should be aimed at “peace” and respect for the will of the people, reiterating its “great concern” at the violence in its former colony.
“We believe that the efforts that can be made by the European Union must be made fundamentally to try, on the one hand, to preserve stability and peace and to ensure that this position and that the will of the people of Mozambique is respected,” said Portugal’s secretary of state for European affairs, Inês Domingos, in comments to Portuguese journalists in Brussels after an EU foreign affairs council meeting.
Portugal, she said, remains “very concerned” about the demonstrations in Mozambique, which began at the end of October.
“We want to make sure that the results really reflect the opinion of the Mozambican people; that doesn’t change,” said Domingos.
The secretary of state was referring to the general elections that took place in Mozambique on 9 October 2024, in the wake of which opposition politicians and independent observers have expressed suspicions of electoral fraud, while large-scale protests have been staged contesting the results, which police have violently repressed.
Today, at the meeting of EU ministers, additional support of €20 million was approved for Rwandan forces in their contribution to the fight against insurgents in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, as it is considered that this deployment “has been fundamental” to restoring the authorities’ control over the region.
Following the recent general elections, at least five people have died and another 37 have been injured in 51 demonstrations over the last five days to contest the official results, Mozambican police announced on Monday.
The demonstrations have been called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who has refused to accept the official declaration of victory for Daniel Chapo, the candidate backed by the governing Frelimo party. He was declared the winner of the presidential election with 70.67% of the vote, in results announced by the National Electoral Commission (CNE).
Mondlane came second with 20.32% in that count, but he has not recognise the results, which have yet to be validated and proclaimed by the Constitutional Council, which has no deadlines for this and is still analysing the dispute.
After street protests that brought the country to a standstill on 21, 24 and 25 October, Mondlane once again called the population to a seven-day general strike, from 31 October onwards, with national protests and a demonstration in Maputo on 7 November that caused chaos in the capital, with barricades, burning tyres and police firing shots and tear gas throughout the day to disperse the protestors.
Mondlane announced that the protests would continue until what he called the electoral truth was restored.
Lusa
