The Constitutional Council has the last word on the electoral process, and its decision is expected to trigger further protests in Mozambique, a Southern African country of close to 35 million people that Frelimo has ruled since 1975.
Mozambique’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld the election victory of ruling party Frelimo in the October election, which has sparked massive protests by opposition groups who claim the vote was rigged.
The Constitutional Council holds the last word on the electoral process, and its decision will surely provoke more protests in Mozambique, a southern African nation of nearly 35 million people that Frelimo has ruled since 1975.
Western observers said the election was not free and fair, and the post-election period has seen the biggest protests against Frelimo in Mozambique’s history.
The U.S. State Department expressed concern over Monday’s announcement from the Constitutional Council and urged “serious electoral and institutional reforms.”
The State Department statement cited observers’ assessments, including those from the U.S., saying there were irregularities in the tabulation process and a lack of transparency in the election period. At least 130 people have been killed in clashes with police, according to the civil society monitoring group Plataforma Decide.
Outside the conference centre in the capital Maputo, where a senior Constitutional Council judge announced that Frelimo’s Daniel Chapo was president-elect and the party had retained its majority in parliament, the streets were deserted amid a heavy police presence.
