The president of the Podemos party said today that Elvino Dias, lawyer for presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, and Paulo Guambe, leader of that political force, were killed for "political reasons".
"In our opinion, they were murdered for political reasons (...) It was a planned and prepared death (...), also taking into account the context in which we find ourselves, with the party fighting for electoral justice. We are now finishing the challenges at district level because the elections were fraudulent", declared Albino Forquilha, president of the Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), in statements to the media at the scene where the two victims lost their lives, in the centre of Maputo.
Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe were shot dead at around 11:20 pm local time (one hour less in Lisbon) on Friday, on Avenida Joaquim Chissano, in the centre of the capital, and, according to the police, another occupant, a woman who was travelling in the back seat of the vehicle, was also shot and taken to Maputo Central Hospital.
The spokesperson for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique, Leonel Muchina, told Lusa today that the victims had been socializing in a market in Maputo, and that there had "allegedly" been a "discussion arising from marital matters", from which they "were later followed".
The leader of that party dismisses this hypothesis, considering that those responsible for the double homicide used AK47-type weapons.
"These murders that occurred here are no different from what happened in 2019 [the year in which Mozambican activist Anastácio Matavel was shot dead by a group of police officers, on the eve of the general elections]. They are people from our system, commanded by the Mozambique Liberation Front [Frelimo]", declared Forquilha, recalling that the two victims, who were involved in the founding of the party, played a fundamental role in the fight for electoral justice that the party is launching.
Podemos, registered in May 2019, is the result of a split of former members of Frelimo, who called for more "economic inclusion", and left the party in power at the time, claiming "disenchantment" and different ambitions.
The Mozambican police confirmed today that the vehicle in which Elvino Dias, lawyer for presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, and Paulo Guambe, leader of Podemos, the party that supports him, were travelling, were shot dead, and was "ambushed" and a third occupant was injured.
"They were approached and blocked by two light vehicles from which individuals disembarked, armed with firearms, and fired several shots that caused injuries and the death of the individuals identified above", the spokesperson for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in the city of Maputo, Leonel Muchina, told Lusa.
Throughout the early hours of the morning, videos of extreme violence against the two victims circulated in Mozambique, with the vehicle apparently being hit by more than two dozen bullets.
Lawyer Elvino Dias, a well-known defender of human rights cases in Mozambique, was the 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 traveling in the vehicle that was the target of the crime.
The general elections of October 9th included the seventh presidential elections - in which the current head of state, Filipe Nyusi, who has reached the limit of two terms, is no longer running - simultaneously with the seventh legislative elections and the fourth elections for provincial assemblies and governors.
The CNE has 15 days, after the polls close, to announce the official results of the elections, which is due on October 24th. The Constitutional Council will then be responsible for proclaiming the results, after the conclusion of the analysis, also of any appeals, but without a defined deadline for this purpose.
The district and provincial election commissions have already completed the vote count for the general elections of October 9, which according to public announcements give an advantage to Frelimo, the ruling party, and to the presidential candidate supported by the party, Daniel Chapo, with more than 60% of the votes, although presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane disputes these results, claiming that he uses data from the original voting minutes and notices, which he has collected throughout the country.
Venâncio Mondlane assured on Thursday, in Beira, central Mozambique, that after the announcement of the results of the general elections he would appeal to the Constitutional Council, with the original voting minutes and notices.
The Portuguese Government, the European Union and the diplomatic representations in Maputo of the United States of America, Canada, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom condemned these murders and called for a full and swift investigation.
No comments:
Post a Comment