Mozambique’s main opposition group, the former rebel movement Renamo, said on Friday it would challenge as fraudulent results showing that the ruling Frelimo party had won national elections, but Renamo’s leader promised there would be no return to war.
Afonso Dhlakama, whose guerrillas fought a civil war against Frelimo from 1975 to 1992 in the former Portuguese colony, said Wednesday’s presidential and legislative elections had been marred by widespread irregularities, including ballot stuffing.
The elections have been billed as crucial for Mozambique’s stability as it prepares to reap revenues from large offshore gas deposits in the north being developed by the US’ Anadarko Petroleum Corp and Italy’s Eni.
The impoverished Indian Ocean nation, which became independent in 1975, is prominent on investors’ radar screens, with brisk annual economic growth rates of 8 percent fueled by discoveries of coal and natural gas.
However, with provisional results released by polling authorities showing Frelimo and its candidate, Filipe Nyusi, 55, headed for victory over Dhlakama and third-placed Daviz Simango, Renamo has called for the elections to be annulled and for a fresh vote.
Simango, 50, whose Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) is an emerging third political force, also denounced what he said were numerous reports of irregularities and fraud.
However, observers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union endorsed the elections as acceptable. The SADC viewed them as “generally peaceful, transparent, free, fair and credible,” South African Minister of Foreign Affairs Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said in Maputo.
The white-haired Dhlakama, 61, who has lost four previous elections to Frelimo, contested this.
“People need to understand the elections were not free, fair or transparent,” he said after meeting with ambassadors from the EU.
With a third of the votes counted, Nyusi leads with nearly 62 percent, while Dhlakama has 31 percent and Simango has about 7 percent, according to provisional results.
The dispute over the expected Frelimo victory has raised fears of a return to conflict in the southern African nation following two years of sporadic attacks and ambushes by Dhlakama’s armed partisans in the run-up to the elections.
However, while confirming he would challenge the results, including through legal channels, Dhlakama appeared to rule out armed insurgency.
“I can guarantee to you that there will be no more war in Mozambique,” he told reporters.
Following generally peaceful voting on Wednesday, Renamo supporters later clashed with police in the second city of Beira and in Nampula in the north. At least one person suffered gunshot wounds and more than 30 arrests were made.
Renamo has accused police of intimidating voters to influence the vote outcome in favor of Frelimo and has also denounced cases of ballot stuffing.
“There were people carrying around urns full of votes for Nyusi,” Dhlakama said.
Frelimo has denied the accusations.
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