The Mozambican Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD) has accused South African President Cyril Ramaphosa of "unacceptable interference" in the elections in Mozambique, for having received presidential candidate Daniel Chapo, supported by the ruling Frelimo party.
"It is with great indignation that we strongly condemn the unacceptable interference by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, in publicly expressing his support for the Frelimo candidate, Daniel Chapo, in the midst of the electoral campaign for the elections in Mozambique, scheduled for next October 9th", said the Mozambican non-governmental organization (NGO) in a statement.
Chapo was received on Tuesday by the President of South Africa, who considered the meeting as a sign of "alignment with the project" he has for Mozambique.
"We were welcomed in Pretoria [capital of South Africa] by President Cyril Ramaphosa. A fruitful meeting aligned with our project of taking Mozambique forward", wrote the presidential candidate on his Facebook page, a message accompanied by photographs.
"The meeting held yesterday [Tuesday] in Pretoria between President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Secretary-General of Frelimo constitutes a clear violation of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states, enshrined both by SADC [Southern African Development Community] and the African Union", reads the press release that the CDD released today.
The intervention of the South African President in favor of Daniel Chapo, in the middle of the election campaign, represents a flagrant abuse of his position as head of state and leader of a dominant party, the African National Congress (ANC), in a neighboring country, the statement says.
"Such an attitude directly interferes with the democratic process in Mozambique, putting at risk the legitimacy of the elections and compromising the spirit of cooperation and neutrality that should prevail in bilateral and regional relations," the note stresses.
The CDD calls on SADC and the African Union to take a firm stance on the case, urging political leaders to respect the principles of non-interference.
In one of the images released on Tuesday, the South African head of state and the presidential candidate pose with the Mozambican Minister of Foreign Affairs, Verónica Macamo, who is also the representative of Daniel Chapo's candidacy.
South Africa, the region's largest economy, is home to a large community of Mozambicans and is part of the electoral district in the diaspora.
The Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the main opposition party, accused the Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in July of "involvement" in Frelimo's pre-campaign, for having met with Daniel Chapo.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also met in July with another Mozambican presidential candidate, Venâncio Mondlane.
Renamo supports the presidential candidacy of its leader, Ossufo Momade.
On June 26, Daniel Chapo was received by the President of Angola, João Lourenço, also president of the MPLA, with whom he discussed aspects related to the development of Angola and Mozambique and cooperation between the two countries, and from whom he also received "assurance of spiritual and moral support".
Mozambique will hold general elections on October 9, in a ballot that includes presidential, legislative, provincial assembly and provincial governor elections.
In addition to Daniel Chapo and Ossufo Momade, Lutero Simango, supported by the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), the third parliamentary force, and Venâncio Mondlane, supported by the extra-parliamentary Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos) and Democratic Revolution (RD), are running for President.
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