EMMANUEL CAMILLO
Associated Press
MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Mozambique’s opposition parties on Saturday rejected the victory of the ruling Frelimo party, alleging voter fraud in the southeastern African nation’s elections.
On Friday, election officials announced that Frelimo won the election with about 57 percent of the vote. Frelimo’s victory means that the party’s presidential candidate Defense Minister Felipe Nyusi, who was relatively unknown before campaigning began, will be Mozambique’s next president.
The official opposition, Renamo, which won just over a third of the vote, called for negotiations with Frelimo saying a coalition government should be formed.
The country’s third largest party, the Mozambique Democratic Movement, also said the elections were not fair. The party called for an investigation into fraud allegations at various polling stations. “Frelimo is not prepared to lose. We reject the results,” said Lutero Simango, of the MDM, saying democracy in the country was in “danger.”
International observers, including the European Union, endorsed the elections, saying the incidents of alleged fraud were not enough to discount the result. Observers urged opposition parties to follow formal complaint procedures to maintain peace.
Celebrations in Mozambique were muted on Saturday after the official announcement, with the national election commission urging Mozambicans to remain calm. Security in the capital was increased amid fears that the country may return to sporadic violence between Renamo and Frelimo supporters which has recently resurfaced after years of peace. The two groups signed a peace deal in 1992 and have competed against each other as political parties since then.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
