Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi seems to have shut the door on any possible dialogue with independent presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane over disputed election results and the ensuing political crisis.
Speaking ON Monday about the contested election results announced on Thursday by the National Election Commission (CNE), Nyusi said that “there’s no worse thing than a politician losing control over what he says,” adding that the “result could be fatal”.
And for good measure, the spokesperson of the Police General Command, Orlando Madumane, told the press that police force would sue Mondlane in order to hold him criminally responsible for the the riots following police crackdown on protesters.
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Observers claim that back channels had been open to pave the way for a dialogue between Daniel Chapo, the ruling Frelimo party presidential candidate, who was declared the winner of the 9 October general and presidential elections, and Mondlane, who has announced that he had won the said elections.
With both Chapo and Mondlane talking about a possible dialogue, it seemed that creative ways would be found to accommodate some of the demands made by Mondlane and by PODEMOS (Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique), the party that backed the former’s independent presidential run.
However, with Nyusi’s latest statements, it looks as if any hopes for a dialogue have been quashed, at least for now. In any case, it was a long shot that the two could have a dialogue without Nyusi on board, especially because apart from being the head of state, he is still Frelimo’s chairperson, wielding both state and party power.
Ostensibly, Nyusi has not seemed to be to open to pursue the diplomatic avenue with those who seem to stand up to him. Tellingly, by saying that the “result could be fatal”, he seemed to send a message to Mondlane that he could be targetted. There is a precedent here: in October 2021, Mozambique’s Defence and Security Forces (FDS) killed Mariano Nhongo, the leader of Renamo military junta, a splinter armed group which had hobbled the peace treaty and disasrmament process between government and Renamo, signed in 2019.
He has also refused to enter into negotiations with the Islamist insurgency raging in nothern Cabo Delgado province.
Killing Mondlane would certainly spark outrage and unprecedented riots. The current riots also resulted from the gunning down of lawyer and opposition advisor Elvino Dias and PODEMOS party election agent, Paulo Guambe, in Maputo city.
A charismatic figure, Mondlane has been branded the “Hope of the Nation” and “People’s Candidate” by legions of youths who follow him on social media, discontent with Frelimo and the direction of the country. So, killing him would fan the flames of public disobedience and plunge the country into uncertain terrains. So far, 11 people have died throughout the country, and both public and private property destroyed, especially police precincts and the offices of Frelimo in the centre and north.
Renamo’s António Muchanga seems to be in no doubt that Nyusi would prefer that the country burn down in order to declare a state of emergence with the aim of perpetuating himself – Nyusi is due to step down in mid-January 2025, but critics say that he could do anything to hold on to power, having failed to impose a third term and his own successor.
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