Security and political commentators have implored electoral stakeholders to build public trust and conduct a transparent electoral process to avoid the Mozambican scenario of civil disorder following that country’s disputed polls.
The widespread protests follow opposition allegations of fraud in the October 9 General Elections, whose results the National Election Commission (CNE) announced on Thursday and declared Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo winner by 70.67 percent of the total votes.
The opposition is accusing the Mozambican electoral body of failing to deliver fair, credible and acceptable results.
Unidentified gunmen also shot dead two prominent opposition figures last weekend. In another incident, several people were also injured as police fired tear gas towards independent presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane and his supporters, who had gathered to protest.
And following the post-election violence in that country, local political, social and security experts have cautioned duty-bearers against cooperating with law-breaking agents.
Political analyst George Chaima observed in an interview that failure to uphold the rule of law in the administration of elections has serious repercussions.
“Unfortunately, this has been the case in most African countries where corruption is deep among politicians. They want their party or leaders to cling to power indefinitely to escape exposure and trial for their wrongdoing,” lamented Chaima.
He said politicians, sometimes using their accomplices, connive with the electoral body to rig elections.
“Rigged elections create tension, bring violence and cause deaths to many innocent souls. Thorough preparation of elections, including addressing the bottlenecks ahead of elections, has the potential to instil confidence in all players with parity.
“Duty-bearers and selfish politicians are responsible for such anarchy and must be held accountable for their actions,” said Chaima.
On his part, security expert Alex Chisiano said the public reactions witnessed in Mozambique are an accumulation of frustrations that the leadership and the system did not adequately address during the electoral process.
He observed that oftentimes there is lack of political will to address such frustrations when their existence favours those in power.
“Also, the frustrations are created by the approach taken by the system supported by the leadership. It is imperative, therefore, that political leadership must be seen to be moved and responsive in dealing with the issues,” he said..
Social and governance commentator Undule Mwakasungula said the unrest in Mozambique offers important lessons for Malawi as it prepares for its 2025 General Elections.
“First, electoral transparency is key. Malawi must ensure all political stakeholders are fully engaged.
“Second, Malawi must emphasise legal recourse for electoral disputes. Strong, impartial legal frameworks are important for resolving disputes, preventing aggrieved parties from resorting to violence,” he said.
Mwakasungula also hinted on civic education as paramount for promoting an informed electorate.
The country is expected to hold its general elections on September 16 2025 and the Malawi Electoral Commission is carrying out voter registration in selected districts.
