Political leaders in Mozambique are negotiating to resolve the post-election situation

Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, hosted a national forum Thursday at the Presidential Palace, bringing together civil society and political parties to discuss ways to resolve the post-election turmoil that has plagued the nation since October.

Representatives of the main political parties, including Frelimo, Renamo, Podemos, MDM, and Nova Democracia, participated in the discussion with the goal of establishing an inclusive and long-lasting mechanism for addressing the nation’s political issues.

President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique emphasized the necessity of a comprehensive strategy that involves all facets of society and guarantees that all opinions are heard in order to resolve the electoral impasse.

“We need to find a solution that covers all Mozambicans,” Nyusi stated. “We need to find a space for the participation of society so that it is not a matter discussed by a group of people and that people feel excluded in this process.”

The ongoing reforms, such as the decentralization process and possible constitutional amendments, were also discussed. “There are reforms that can take us to the revision of the Constitution to accommodate the interests of the Mozambican people,” Nyusi said.

The country is now dealing with severe political tensions, therefore the dialogue’s emphasis on electoral reform, national healing, and peace was timely.

Daniel Chapo, the presidential candidate of the incumbent Frelimo party, was declared the victor of the general elections held on October 9 by Mozambique’s Constitutional Council (CC), which oversees constitutional and electoral matters, on December 23 of last year. 65.17 percent of the vote went to Chapo. The extra-parliamentary Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique, also known as Podemos, backed Venancio Mondlane, who received 24.19 percent of the vote.

The conference on Thursday coincided with the return to Mozambique nearly two and a half months after leaving the country of presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, who denied the election results and called for nationwide protests.

According to local media, the post-election mayhem has resulted in hundreds of injuries and over 100 civilian deaths.