Maputo, 28 Jul (AIM) – Supporters of the Democratic Alliance Coalition (CAD) marched through the streets of Maputo and several other Mozambican cities on Saturday, in protest against the decision of the National Elections Commission (CNE) to prevent CAD from standing in the parliamentary and provincial elections scheduled for 9 October.
CAD is supporting the independent candidate for President of the Republic, Venancio Mondlane, who was once a senior figure in the main opposition party, Renamo. When the Renamo leadership refused to allow Mondlane to attend the party’s congress in mid-May, he resigned from Renamo, and his mostly young supporters were able to collect the thousands of supporting signatures he needed for his presidential bid.
CAD is a coalition of six tiny extra-parliamentary parties, set up in 2018 by the late human rights activist, Alice Mabote. Mondlane has rescued it from obscurity with his decision to use it as the vehicle for his campaign.
The CAD marches passed off peacefully, and only in the western city of Tete did the police try to stop the march.
In Maputo, hundreds of people marched behind CAD banners, denouncing the CNE and urging supporters to “save Mozambique”. They urged the Constitutional Council, the country’s highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law, to accept the appeal from CAD, and overturn the CNE’s decision.
The CAD chairperson, Manecas Daniel, cited by the Portuguese news agency, threatened “a war with eggs and tomatoes” if CAD is definitively banned from the October elections.
“I believe that the Mozambican people, with eggs and tomatoes, which are not weapons, will wage war and will win”, he said.
In the central city of Quelimane, CAD supporters promised “We will not rest until the coalition is included in the list of competitors in the general elections of 9 October”.
Peaceful marches were also reported from Nampula, Chimoio and Inhambane.
But in Tete city, agents of the municipal police obstructed the CAD march, alleging that CAD had changed the agreed route. Lengthy negotiations between the police and the local CAD leadership were necessary before the march could go ahead.
Herminio Nhantumbo, the CAD candidate for Tete provincial governor told reporters he did not understand why the march was being blocked, since CAD had followed the law on demonstrations.
“We put in our request, and we informed the municipality that we would hold a peaceful march, as enshrined in the constitution, which is what we have done”, he said, “but now we have this disgrace”.
The police were called to keep order. Negotiations went on for about an hour, before the municipal police finally allowed CAD to continue its march.
Venancio Mondlane was not present at any of the marches, since he is still on a tour of various European countries, seeking to raise support for CAD. This tour is polemical, since in Portugal Mondlane chose to meet with just one Portuguese political party, the far right Chega, which has strong links with the colonial-fascist regime overthrown 50 years ago.
(AIM)
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