Mozambique’s Constitutional Council confirms ruling party’s election win

Mozambique’s Constitutional Council on Monday validated the outcome of the October 9 elections, giving the ruling Frelimo party and its candidate Daniel Chapo the legitimacy to rule the country for another five years. 

The Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) has governed Mozambique since independence from Portugal in 1975. But the October 9 vote was marred by allegations of irregularities and followed by violent protests. 

According to the Council, which by law has judicial independence, Daniel Chapo won the presidential contest with 65.17 percent of votes, some five percent less than the tally declared by the National Electoral Commission (CNE). 

Read: Mozambicans have no faith in Constitutional Council solving post-poll crisis

Mr Chapo, 47, will now become the country’s fifth President and will be sworn in in January.

Lúcia Ribeiro, the head of the Council, said it recognised irregularities in the electoral process, but that these were not enough to annul the results. 

She proclaimed “Daniel Francisco Chapo President-elect of the Republic of Mozambique.”

After reading the proclamation for an hour and a half,  she said irregularities “did not influence” the final result.

But, supporters of Mr Chapo’s main rival, Venâncio Mondlane, began protesting  with burning tyres in the capital Maputo.

Mr Mondlane, an independent candidate but supported by the Podemos party, got 24.19 percent of the vote, the Council said, giving him four percent more than the CNE had announced.

Mr Mondlane had claimed victory in the October 9 elections.

Since October 10, the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), other political parties and civil society members organised post-elections demonstrations, which have led to chaos.

Renamo party leader Ossufo Momade achieved 6.62 percent and MDM leader Lutero Simango managed 4.02 percent of vote.