Mozambique’s leading opposition party, Podemos, has filed a lawsuit demanding a recount of the election results, which ignited protests and violence after the ruling party was declared the winner.
The suit, filed on Sunday, called on the country’s Constitutional Court to give “a true judgement on who won the elections”, according to the text of the document seen by AFP.
It demanded the court “repeat the overall counting” of votes, citing alleged discrepancies in the October 9 election.
Podemos representative Dinis Tivane informed reporters that the party had also submitted multiple boxes of documents to the National Electoral Commission. These documents, according to the party, serve as proof that they secured victory in the election.
On Thursday, the commission announced that Daniel Chapo of the ruling Frelimo party won the presidential election with 71% of the vote and 195 out of 250 seats in parliament.
Podemos claims its candidate Venancio Mondlane won with 53.3% and 138 seats. In its court appeal, the party requested that all polling stations submit the full details of how they collated the voting numbers to the commission.
It also demanded the court “determine exactly how many people voted” across the country in each of the elections — presidential, legislative and provincial — after foreign observers signalled irregularities.
EU officials reported “irregularities during counting and unjustified alteration of election results at polling stations and district level”.
On Thursday, protests by opposition supporters erupted, leading to clashes with riot police.
Frelimo has ruled since independence in 1975.
