Mozambique warns protesters ahead of election results

People shout slogans and protest during the funeral and burial of Elvino Dias, the lawyer for the presidential candidate of the opposition Party Optimist for the Development of Mozambique (PODEMOS) Venancio Mondlane, at a church in Michafutene, near Maputo, on October 23, 2024. [AFP]

Mozambique's president warned Wednesday that calls for violent protests could be considered criminal acts as tensions grew ahead of the imminent release of election results.

Leading opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane has called for 25 days of "terror" over the killing of his attorney as results from the October 9 ballot, to be published on Thursday, were expected to show the ruling Frelimo party winning.

"Inciting the population to revolt, misinforming the world and creating chaos for political purposes can be considered criminal acts," President Filipe Nyusi told reporters.

While he said that Mozambicans have the right to protest, "news that the country will again demonstrate against a process that has not yet seen its outcome is unsettling."

Earlier on Wednesday, thousands of people gathered outside Mozambique's capital to bury lawyer Elvino Dias who was killed alongside another opposition ally, Paulo Guambe.

The pair, who were preparing a case to contest the vote on behalf of Mondlane and the Podemos party backing him, were ambushed while in a vehicle and shot in the early hours of Saturday.

In a message on Facebook, Mondlane, who accused security forces of shooting at them 25 times, said he would unleash "25 days of terror" in reprisal.

Police said they had launched an investigation into the killings while Frelimo, which has been in power for 49 years, "vehemently" condemned the "macabre act".

Electoral violence is not uncommon in Mozambique. Last year, several people were killed in clashes after Frelimo won municipal elections.

But Mondlane has raised the tone, speaking about a "revolutionary roadmap" on social media platforms.

The 50-year-old former radio presenter was among a group of protesters tear-gassed by police on Monday.

Polling 'irregularities'

Election observers from the EU have raised concerns about the legitimacy of this month's polls, noting "irregularities during counting and unjustified alteration of election results at polling station and district level".

Initial indications of a low turnout in the coastal country of some 33 million people could further erode the vote's credibility.

The results are due to be announced at 2:30 pm local time (1230 GMT), according to Mozambique's electoral commission.

Nyusi is stepping down after his two terms allowed by the constitution but his party's candidate, Daniel Chapo, was widely tipped to win.

At 47, Chapo would be the first president born after Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1975.

A former provincial governor with no experience in national government, he would also be the first leader not to have fought in the country's devastating civil war, which claimed around a million lives between 1975 and 1992.

Partial results from the electoral commission gave Chapo two-thirds of the vote in the opposition stronghold Nampula province.

Mondlane meanwhile claimed 54 per cent of the vote, putting the ruling Frelimo's candidate on only 37 per cent.

Other presidential candidates included Ossufo Momade, 63, of the Renamo party, and Lutero Simango, 64, of the Mozambique Democratic Movement.

While Renamo has traditionally been the main opposition group, the emergence of Mondlane and the Podemos party was a new development in this election.

"Mondlane and Podemos have leveraged social media to connect with Mozambique's large youth population who are seeking a change to the status quo," said Emilia Columbo of the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.