The Association of Mozambican Writers (AEMO) has called for an “urgent meeting” between presidential candidates Daniel Chapo and Venâncio Mondlane, to discuss setting up a government of “effective inclusion” and putting an end to the demonstrations.
The writers ask, in the letter that Lusa had access to on Friday, that the two most voted presidential candidates, according to data released by the National Electoral Commission (CNE), hold a meeting with a view to reaching an agreement to “end” what they consider to be a climate of instability and violence, loss of life and destruction of infrastructure.
According to the writers, Venâncio Mondlane and Daniel Chapo should meet to make a “serious and genuine” commitment, making “mutual concessions”, without being guided by “arrogance or radical positions”.
“Start the negotiation process to create a platform of understanding that includes the constitution of a government of effective inclusion, with a view to opening the door to a process of profound reform of the state, involving and benefiting the whole of society, without exclusion, with particular emphasis on young people,” reads AEMO’s document.
The same document also calls for the public appearance of the two candidates to commit to peace, stability and the development of the country, overcoming “expressions of hatred and others that incite violence”.
The collective calls for the “constitution of a Committee of Wise Men, to design the architecture of the dialogue between the two most voted presidential candidates, to moderate the meetings between them and to report to the people on their progress,” the document adds.
At least three people were killed and 66 injured during clashes between demonstrators and the police on Thursday, the eighth day of the strikes called by Venâncio Mondlane, the Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), the country’s largest facility, announced today.
“Yesterday, the 7th [Thursday], in all our entrance doors we had a total of 138 admissions, of which the adult emergency department had 101 patients. Of the 101 patients, 66 were victims of these demonstrations and the rest were due to other causes,” said the director of the Adult Emergency Department at HCM, Dino Lopes, in statements to the media.
The announcement by Mozambique’s National Electoral Commission (CNE) on 24 October of the results of the 9 October elections, in which it awarded victory to Daniel Chapo, supported by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, the party in power since 1975) in the election for country’s president, with 70.67% of the vote, sparked popular protests, called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane.
According to the CNE, Mondlane came second with 20.32%, but the latter said he did not recognise the results, which still have to be validated and proclaimed by the Constitutional Council.
Following street protests that brought the country to a standstill, Mondlane once again called on the public for a seven-day general strike from 31 October, with nationwide protests and a mass demonstration in Maputo for Thursday 7 November.
Venâncio Mondlane announced on Thursday that the protests are to continue until the electoral truth is restored.
The president of Mozambique’s Democratic Movement (MDM), Lutero Simango, one of the four presidential candidates in the October elections, also demanded today that the votes be recounted or repeated as a way of restoring ‘electoral justice’.
Lusa
