Mozambique court confirms presidential election results

The Constitutional Council acknowledged irregularities in the election but ruled they did not significantly alter the results.

Mozambique’s Constitutional Council has declared Daniel Francisco Chapo the winner of the disputed October presidential election, securing 65.17% of the vote.

“[The Constitutional Council] proclaims as elected president of the Republic of Mozambique, the citizen Daniel Francisco Chapo,” announced Lucia da Luz Ribeiro, the court’s president.

Opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane, who received 24.29%, accused the ruling Frelimo party of vote-rigging and has rejected the court’s decision. Mondlane’s supporters took to the streets of Maputo, burning tires and blocking roads.

Protester Cláudio Cumbe expressed anger over the government’s response: “We are being shot at. We are discussing the national situation. The population is being oppressed. We are fighting.”

Protests over the election have led to violent clashes, with over 100 people reportedly killed in recent weeks. Mondlane has called for a nationwide “shutdown” starting Friday, heightening fears of further unrest.

The Constitutional Council acknowledged irregularities in the election but ruled they did not significantly alter the results. Chapo’s victory ensures another term for Frelimo, Mozambique’s ruling party since independence in 1975.