Day of Decision in Mozambique: Violence Erupts After Court Confirms Chapo’s Victory.

Monday, December 23, was a day of intense reactions in Mozambique as the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed Daniel Chapo’s triumph in the October 2024 presidential elections, eliciting strong emotions from the country’s citizenry. The ruling solidified Chapo, the candidate of the long-ruling Frelimo party, as the winner of a highly disputed poll, but it also sparked a fresh wave of deadly, violent protests across the country.

The confirmation of Chapo’s victory, after weeks of unrest and allegations of electoral fraud, has only deepened the political crisis in the Southern African nation. Chapo’s main adversary, Venâncio Mondlane, who came in second, rejected the results outrightly, insisting that the vote had been rigged in favour of the ruling party. On the streets of Maputo and beyond, demonstrators made their anger clear, chanting Mondlane’s name, burning tires, and throwing stones at police, who responded aggressively and tear gassed the protesters.

The protests are the latest occurrence in Mozambique’s post-election saga, which has already seen a substantial number of people dying, according to locally available information. The country has  seen an escalation of violence since the preliminary results were made public, and the Constitutional Council’s decree only made it worse. In the country’s capital, the usual bustle of the city, gave way to silence, with empty streets and deserted storefronts. It was a stark reminder of how deeply divided the nation has become over the controversial election.

Mondlane, who remains out of the country after two of his right-hand men were shot dead by the police in the election month, has repeatedly called for mass demonstrations against the electoral results. His supporters have heeded his call, organizing outcries in various cities, many of them marked by violence and confrontations with the security forces. On Monday, protesters clashed with police near the capital, burning tires and setting up barricades in the streets. It was a scene reminiscent of the protests that erupted in the days following the initial announcement of the election results.

The Constitutional Council’s decision to lower Chapo’s margin of triumph from the 71%, the margin initially reported by the electoral commission, to 65%, was construed by many as an attempt to lighten tensions. For Mondlane and his supporters, the change was not enough to address the core of their accusations, that the election had been rigged from the start. According to the opposition, the election was marred by irregularities in the vote counting process, including accusations of tampering with ballots and voter intimidation.

International observers, including those from the United States, have echoed these concerns. The U.S. State Department has expressed its worries over the credibility of the poll, calling for urgent reforms in Mozambique’s electoral system but the country’s electoral commission has stood by its original findings, defending the results and denying any allegations of fraud.

The protests has led to a temporary recession in the country’s fortunes. Foreign companies, such as Australian mining giant South32, have reported disruptions to their operations, and the protests have even led to the temporary closure of the main border crossing with neighboring South Africa. The economic consequences are already being felt, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgrading the country’s growth forecast for 2024 due to the ongoing instability.

In a nation where Samora Machel’s Frelimo has ruled since independence in 1975, these protests are among the largest and most violent the country has witnessed. Meanwhile, the security forces  have been accused of using heavy-handed tactics in dealing with protesters. Reports indicate that many of the deaths recorded were a result of their actions. The authorities, however, maintain that they were simply defending themselves after being attacked by the protesters.

Pope Francis, in a message to the largely Catholic nation, has called for dialogue and reconciliation, urging both sides to seek peace for the sake of the country’s future. With Mondlane still on the run and the government showing no sign of backing down, it remains unclear how this crisis will end.

For now, Mozambique is left in a state of dilemma, with the streets of Maputo, Nacala-Porto and other cities still the sites of violent clashes. As the protests continue, the question lingers: will the government address the widespread allegations of election fraud or will the country spiral further into unrest?