Members of opposition parties convened in Matola on 28 October to draft a joint declaration calling for the formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU). The aim is to unite the opposition into a single front to challenge the results of what they describe as the most fraudulent elections since 1999. Renamo has agreed to join the group, with Venâncio Mondlane supporting the initiative. The proposal for a GNU was first raised by the Catholic Bishops in their most recent Pastoral Letter. A formal statement is expected shortly.
Renamo Guerrillas Storm National Headquarters
Former guerrillas stormed Renamo’s national headquarters on Monday to pressure party leader Ossufo Momade into returning to war. A senior source within Renamo confirmed that the former fighters were willing to resume the armed conflict, but only withdrew after discussions.
Renamo Leader Offers to Resign
Renamo leader Ossufo Momade offered to resign during a meeting of the Renamo National Political Commission on Saturday, 26 October, at Pensão Martins in Maputo. In his first intervention at the meeting, Momade declared that he was stepping down because he believed he was the problem within the party. “Right now, I am the problem of this organisation,” he told the meeting.
Most members of the Commission supported Momade’s resignation, but a minority of six or seven members, including Celeste Macote, former leader of the Renamo Women’s League, and Victor Mudivila Viandro, disagreed. The Commission advised that any decisions should be postponed until after the election dispute, as they were all acting “with hot heads.” If Momade were to resign immediately, Renamo would temporarily be led by José Manteigas, chair of the National Council, who faces strong opposition within the party.
The Commission suggested that Momade call a meeting of the Renamo National Council to announce his decision and outline the steps forward until a Congress is convened. The National Council is expected to meet next year after the current election crisis is resolved.
Momade was urged to ensure a smooth transition to avoid deepening divisions within Renamo. His successor should be a figure who can unite the party and potentially welcome back former members like Manuel Bissopo and the sons of Afonso Dhlakama, including Venâncio Mondlane.
Renamo plans to amend its statutes so that the party president is not automatically the presidential candidate, allowing the party to elect a president and candidate without internal conflict.
This idea emerged at the last Renamo Congress, where there was initial consensus that Momade would not be the party’s candidate. After his re-election as leader, however, he accepted the proposal to stand as the presidential candidate. Possible candidates include Manuel de Araujo, Ivone Soares, and Venâncio Mondlane, provided he returns to the party after being expelled. Renamo has also considered Rosário Fernandes, though his ties to the Frelimo Party and his acceptance by the more radical wings of Renamo would need to be clarified.
Bar Association Accuses CNE of Rushing Results to Avoid Investigation into Election Crimes
The National Elections Commission (CNE) had a 15-day deadline to announce the election results, which expired on 24 October. The CNE claimed it lacked the time and resources to investigate discrepancies in the voter numbers across the elections for President, Parliament, and Provincial Assemblies.
The Mozambican Bar Association (OAM) rejected this explanation, noting that “the law allows the extension of procedural deadlines if it is necessary to undertake essential measures to address irregularities, as is the case here.”
The OAM stated, “It is very serious when a public body, with as much responsibility as the National Elections Commission, chooses to ignore fundamental issues such as ascertaining the will of the people through their vote, by citing the supposed inflexibility of legal deadlines.” The association argued that the CNE cannot avoid addressing these crucial issues, which it has acknowledged, and which cannot be corrected immediately.
Regarding electoral crimes, some of which have already been presented to the district and city courts, the OAM said the CNE “cannot and should not shamelessly claim to have learned about them through the media, as it is its responsibility to investigate all irregularities that occurred during the elections.”
The OAM added that the CNE’s deadline for announcing results should not justify hiding the truth. “The CNE was not and is not legally required to publish results if they are not credible. The only interest should be the electoral truth—the supreme will of the voters.”
The OAM also pointed out that in cases of significant irregularities compromising electoral justice and transparency, the CNE should not declare the results, leaving it to the concerned parties to appeal to the Constitutional Council.
In its conclusion, the OAM asserted that “other legally possible, more transparent and safer paths exist. We cannot ignore when injustice is clear, as it undermines social peace. Justice and peace are fundamental for the success of a state, and there is no doubt about this.”
OAM Calls for Publication of Polling Station Results and for CC to Instruct CNE to Investigate Electoral Crimes
The OAM believes the only course of action for the Constitutional Council (CC) is to:
- Return the minutes and results sheets from the National Centralisation and General Count to the CNE, instructing it to investigate and clarify the recognised issues, particularly numerical discrepancies.
- Once the CNE submits its report, the CC should publicly review the process, including the presence of presidential candidates, political parties, mass media, and national and international observers.
- The CC should also order the publication of all results sheets from polling stations across the country.
- If this is not possible, the CC should order a national recount and publish the results.
The OAM warned that if these actions are not taken, the CC, CNE, and STAE will bear full responsibility for any social instability.
‘Political Interests Control Electoral Justice,’ Say Lawyers
In the same statement, the OAM highlighted that the problem with the electoral bodies is due to electoral justice being controlled by political interests, as evidenced by the composition of the National Electoral Commission and the distortion of democratic principles.
The OAM attributed the recent protests and demonstrations, which have been violently suppressed by the police, to the lack of transparency in the electoral management bodies. It argued that “times have changed” and now the general population is demanding transparency and credibility in election results, rather than the ethnic and regional divisions of the past.
The OAM warned that the country cannot allow a “bloodbath” and that if the state fails to address these issues, it will be compromising its democracy and people, all in service of “unknown interests.”
