Mozambique president wants talks to end weeks of post-election unrest

Maputo, Mozambique — 

In a state of the nation address late Tuesday, outgoing Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi invited the four presidential candidates for a dialogue as part of a bid to end post-election unrest that has left several people dead and dozens of others injured.

Protesters say the October 9 election won by ruling party candidate Daniel Chapo was rigged. The government denies that accusation.

Nyusi said the demonstrations are having a negative impact on the economy, as they limit the activities of companies and ports and increase unemployment, among other issues.

He said in his address that he will work to pacify Mozambique until the last day of his term, but he needs all Mozambicans to come together to solve the problems. He also hoped that, by meeting with the four candidates from the recent election, they could find a solution that benefits the country.

At least 30 people are reported to have died during the post-election violence that flared after electoral officials said Chapo, of the ruling Frelimo party, won the presidential election with more than 60% of the vote.

Venancio Mondlane, the independent candidate who came in second with 20%, challenged the result and called for nationwide protests.

International observers say the election was marred by irregularities.

Nyusi’s invitation to the dialogue comes a few days after the Attorney General’s Office filed cases against Venancio Mondlane and his PODEMOS party to compensate the state for property damage caused during protests.

Human rights activist Adriano Nuvunga said the president is trying to prod Mondlane into dialogue while refusing to acknowledge the protesters’ grievances. The president has repeatedly called for protesters to wait until the Constitutional Council validates the election results.

Nuvunga expressed skepticism over the dialogue, which he said is carried out with sticks through legal proceedings. He said the president’s call for a meeting did not seem genuine, adding Nyusi has been hiding behind the Constitutional Council for a long time, which has discredited the legitimacy of the results.

Mondlane holds historical ruling Frelimo figures responsible for issues troubling the country, including widespread poverty and high rates of youth unemployment.

But Methodist Bishop Dinis Matsolo said dialogue is the best way to calm the country and move forward.

In a telephone interview, Matsolo told VOA that Mozambique needs credible elections to achieve domestic peace.

“What is happening now is the consequence of bad mismanagement of the electoral process, so it is very crucial that people should talk and put things right,” Matsolo said. “If we look at the whole thing, the whole electoral process is not well conducted in the country and that creates a lot of anxiety.”

So far, none of the four candidates have accepted the president’s offer to hold talks. Chapo is scheduled to be inaugurated in January.