Threatens to break off talks

The interim coordinator of the Political Commission of Mozambique’s main opposition party, the former rebel movement Renamo, Ossufo Momade, on Thursday again threatened to end Renamo’s talks with the government unless “electoral truth” is restored.This is the second time that Momade has threatened to end the negotiations, which are centred on disarming and demobilising Renamo’s militia and integrating its members into the armed forces and the police or back into civilian life.He first made the threat on 13 October, just three days after the municipal elections. Renamo is alleging fraud in five municipalities, but accepts the results in the other 48 cities and towns.The fraudulent results were announced, Renamo says, in the southern city of Matola, and in the towns of Marromeu, Moatize, Alto Molocue and Monapo, in Sofala, Tete, Zambezia and Nampula provinces respectively.Speaking to a Maputo press conference by telephone from his military base in the central district of Gorongosa, Momade made two completely new demands. He called for a commission of inquiry to look into the frauds and to establish “the electoral truth”, and he demanded the direct involvement of President Filipe Nyusi.

“I want here and now to invite the Head of State to clear up the problem, otherwise we shall leave the negotiations”, he said.This hard line from Momade is completely at odds with the position of the Renamo election agent, Andre Magibire. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, after the National Elections Commission (CNE) had announced the results, Magibire said Renamo was taking its complaints to the Constitutional Council, the highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law, and he was confident that the Council would rule in Renamo’s favour.

Magibire made no threats, and gave no hint that Renamo would break off talks with the government. Indeed, Magibire seemed delighted with the results overall and declared that Renamo was the real winner of the elections.Renamo had gone into the elections with just one municipality (the northern city of Nampula, which it won in a by-election in March) and now it has eight, he said, plus hopes of recovering the five where it alleges fraud.

Momade’s two demands have no support in the electoral legislation, which was passed unanimously by the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, including by the Renamo deputies. There is no role at all for the President of the Republic in election disputes, and no provision for setting up commissions of inquiry.The avenues of appeal are through the district and city courts, and through the Constitutional Council, both of which Renamo is using.Momade also called on the international contact group, which is mediating the talks between Renamo and the government to contribute “towards restoring electoral truth so as to safeguard the effective peace and well being of the Mozambican people”.(In the photo president of the National Commission of Elections of Mozambique (CNE), Abdul Carimo)

In at least four of the municipalities where Renamo alleges fraud, there were certainly massive irregularities. Those members of the CNE appointed by Renamo had hoped that the CNE would act on those irregularities.However, the CNE members appointed by Frelimo made the novel argument that the CNE can do nothing to alter the results because the matter is sub judice, having gone before the district courts, and now being appealed to the Constitutional Council. No such argument was ever made in previous elections, and until now it was generally believed that the CNE does have the power to change the results when fraud or irregularities are detected.The CNE voted on whether to accept the results from the five disputed municipalities, and the Frelimo position won by eight votes to five, with three abstentions.