Podemos leader rejects government of national unity

Maputo, 13 Nov (AIM) – Albino Forquilha, the leader of the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), has rejected the idea of forming a “government of national unity” to overcome the current crisis, following the general elections held on 9 October.

Interviewed in the electronic publication “Mozambique Times”, Forquilha said the formation of a government of national unity would only be justified if the elections had thrown up no winner with an absolute majority.

Podemos backed independent candidate Venancio Mondlane in the presidential election. According to the Podemos parallel count, Mondlane won the presidential election, and Podemos won a majority of seats in the parliamentary election.

There is a huge gulf between this count, and the preliminary results announced by the National Elections Commission (CNE) on 24 October, according to which the ruling Frelimo Party and its presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, emerged the winners.

So Forquilha saw no reason to agree to a government of national unity. “For now, we want electoral justice”, he said – which meant declaring Mondlane and Podemos the winners of the October elections.

He stressed that Podemos will continue to call for mass demonstrations as a “political struggle” to achieve electoral justice.

“We want them to understand that our revolt and our struggle have a basis. Based on the numbers we have, we won these elections, and we expect the Constitutional Council to confirm the victory”, he said. The Council is Mozambique’s highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law, and it must validate and declare the election results. There is no deadline for it to do so.

Forquilha hoped that Mozambicans would be prepared to make sacrifices to guarantee “electoral truth”.

Government and Frelimo spokespersons have accused Mondlane of trying to overthrow a democratically elected government through a coup d’etat.

Forquilha retorted that the real coup plotters are in Frelimo. “Frelimo has no moral authority to say what is or isn’t a coup because they know that the biggest coup is to govern without having won elections”, he said. “The ruling party has always used state institutions to carry out its coups against the people”.

He claimed that the Attorney-General’s Office (PGR) and other judicial bodies have been “captured”, which explains why they do not investigate electoral violations.

Forquilha also criticised the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for its “inaction” in the face of the problems in its member countries. Such regional organisations were no more than “correspondence clubs”, he said.

He doubted that the proposed emergency SADC summit to discuss the Mozambican crisis would produce any useful results.

(AIM)

Pf/ (434)