The European Union (EU) condemned this Saturday the murder of Elvino Dias, legal advisor to Mozambican presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, and opposition politician Paulo Guambe, stating that "in a democracy there is no place for politically motivated murders".
In a statement, the EU called for "an immediate, thorough and transparent investigation that brings to justice those responsible for this outrageous crime" and that "clarifies the circumstances in which it occurred".
Stating that it is awaiting "with expectation" the reactions of the Mozambican government, the EU said that "these events occur in the wake of worrying news about the violent dispersal of supporters in the aftermath of last week's elections in Mozambique".
"The EU calls for maximum restraint by all and respect for fundamental freedoms and political rights. Furthermore, it is crucial that firm measures are taken to protect all candidates in this post-election period", the note continues.
The European Union Electoral Observation Mission is still in the country to assess the ongoing electoral process.
"We expect the electoral management bodies to conduct the entire process with all due diligence and transparency, respecting the will expressed by the Mozambican people," it added.
The crime took place on Avenida Joaquim Chissano, in the center of Maputo, with sources on the ground reporting an ambush by armed men on the vehicle in which the two were travelling, after 11pm local time (one hour less in Lisbon), with several shots being fired, fatally hitting both occupants.
Videos of the extreme violence of the two victims and of the vehicle apparently being hit by more than two dozen shots circulated throughout Mozambique throughout the early hours of the morning.
Lawyer Elvino Dias, a well-known defender of human rights cases in Mozambique, was a legal advisor to Venâncio Mondlane and the Democratic Alliance Coalition (CAD), a political group that initially supported that candidate for President of the Republic of Mozambique, until his registration for the general elections of October 9 was rejected by the National Electoral Commission (CNE).
Venâncio Mondlane would later be supported in his candidacy by the Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos) party, whose national representative for the legislative and provincial lists, Paulo Guambe, was also in the vehicle targeted by the crime.
The general elections of October 9 included the seventh presidential elections - in which the current head of state, Filipe Nyusi, has no longer run, having reached the limit of two terms - simultaneously with the seventh legislative elections and the fourth for provincial assemblies and governors.
The CNE has 15 days after the polls close to announce the official results of the elections, which is set to be October 24. The Constitutional Council will then be responsible for announcing the results, after it has also concluded its analysis of any appeals, but there is no set deadline for this purpose.
The district and provincial election commissions have already completed the vote count for the general elections on October 9, which according to public announcements give an advantage to the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, the ruling party) and the presidential candidate supported by the party, Daniel Chapo, with over 60% of the votes, although presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane disputes these results, citing data from the original voting minutes and notices that he has collected from all over the country.
Venâncio Mondlane assured on Thursday, in Beira, central Mozambique, that after the announcement of the results of the general elections he will appeal to the Constitutional Council, with the original voting minutes and notices.
The Portuguese Government has already condemned this murder outright, considering that "the Mozambican people legitimately exercised their right to vote" and that "living up to their civic maturity implies guaranteeing the peaceful and orderly nature of the subsequent process".
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