EU observers cast doubt on vote as Mozambican opposition leader says security forces killed his lawyer

An image is held of Paulo Guambe (L) and advisor and lawyer Elvino Dias (R) both working with Mozambique's leading opposition candidate for the 'Obtimist party for the development of Mozambique' (PODEMOS), is held during a vigil the day after they were shot dead in Maputo October 19, 2024. [AFP]

A leading opposition candidate in Mozambique's contested general election on Tuesday accused security forces of killing his lawyer, as European Union observers cast doubt on the vote.

Tensions mounted ahead of the release, possibly on Wednesday, of official results from the October 9 presidential and parliamentary polls.

They are expected to show that Frelimo, the party that has governed the southern African nation for the past half a century, has won both votes.

Venancio Mondlane, who has already claimed victory as an independent with the backing of the small Podemos party, said his lawyer Elvino Dias was killed as he was preparing a case to contest election results.

"This was a crime committed by the defence and security forces. There's no doubt about it. The special forces killed Elvino," said Mondlane.

Dias was travelling in a car in the centre of the capital, Maputo, with Paulo Guambe, another ally of Mondlane's, when they were ambushed and shot dead overnight between Friday and Saturday.

In a video posted on Facebook, Mondlane accused the security forces of firing at the duo 25 times.

Police said it had launched an investigation into the killings, which Frelimo "vehemently" condemned as a "macabre act".

The party said in a statement that it was in shock over the "murder of citizens Elvino Dias, lawyer, and Paulo Guambe, representative of the Podemos party."

The Catholic Bishops of Mozambique said the ambush was aimed at "silencing, if not the truth, at least democracy."

Dias's funeral is expected to take place on Wednesday while Guambe's could be on Thursday.

'Revolutionary roadmap'

The European Union, the United States, the African Union and the United Nations have all condemned the killings and urged the authorities to identify the perpetrators.

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

The group of bishops also noted "flagrant fraud" during the election.

"Irregularities and fraudulent acts, largely perpetrated with impunity, have reinforced the lack of confidence in electoral bodies," archbishop Inacio Saure said in a statement.

Official results are still pending from the presidential and parliamentary races.

A spokesperson for the electoral commission who spoke to AFP could not give a firm date for the release of the results but it could be on Wednesday according to the electoral calendar.

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

Mondlane, who has already claimed victory, was among a group of several hundred protesters dispersed by police with tear gas on Monday after he had called for a general strike.

The 50-year-old former radio presenter has urged supporters to again "paralyse the country" on Thursday and Friday over what he predicted would be "profoundly false" results.

He spoke about the "second phase" of his "revolutionary roadmap" instructing people to take to the streets across the country.

Low turnout

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

The EU has called for "utmost restraint by all" in Mozambique, while the US State Department urged people to "reject violence" and "to turn to peaceful means of filing electoral grievances".

"The only means to challenge results and demand accountability is through the official complaint process," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

President Filipe Nyusi, 65, is stepping down after his two terms allowed by the constitution but his party's candidate, 47-year-old Daniel Chapo, was widely expected to win the election.

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 DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.