The bishops of Mozambique issued a statement criticising “gross fraud” in elections for president, parliament and local government on 9 October.
President Filipe Nyusi was not on the ballot, as the constitution bars him from running for a third term, but his party, Frelimo – which has been in power since independence in 1975 – was represented by Daniel Chapo, who was expected to win.
Renamo, historically the main opposition party, fielded Ossufo Momade, but the government’s strongest challenger seemed to be Venâncio Mondlane, a candidate outside the traditional two-party system who gained significative backing, especially among young voters.
Although the polls were peaceful there was unrest in the aftermath, including the murder of two politicians close to Mondlane and widespread protests over alleged fraud. International observers also voiced suspicions about the results. Chapo was declared the winner on 25 October with 70.67 per cent of the vote.
In a 22 October statement, titled “The truth shall set you free”, Mozambique’s Catholic bishops said that given the evidence of fraud, any declared results would be false.
“Unfortunately, once again we have witnessed gross fraud. There were repeated cases of ballot box stuffing, forging of electoral results and other forms of hiding the truth. These irregularities and frauds, and the rampant impunity with which they were carried out, strengthen mistrust in electoral bodies and in leaders,” it said.
“Having the competent authorities apply the law during the nation-wide counting of the votes is not, in itself, enough to guarantee trustworthy results, if the data they are working on is not trustworthy. It is fraud to certify a lie.”
The bishops condemned the violence following the elections and warned young people not to be drawn into it. Country-wide protests against the results met a severe police response, causing an estimated ten deaths.
The Denis Hurley Peace Institue of the Southern African Bishops’ Conference reported that “Mozambique was once again bathed in blood, terror and mourning, generated by the PRM [Police of the Republic of Mozambique].” It said police used live bullets on protesters, particularly in the cities of Maputo, Matola, Nampula and Nacala-Porto.
“Lampposts, advertising panels and garbage containers were knocked down by the protesters, who were shouting the name of the presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, as the president elected by the people.”
The bishops’ statement called on all parties to form a government of national unity, insisting that the Church’s non-partisan position “does not mean that it renounces its political and social commitment to a concrete path towards building a more democratic, inclusive, just, and fraternal society, in which everyone should live in peace, with dignity and a future”.
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