European Union observers criticised Mozambique’s hotly disputed October vote in its final report released Thursday, citing manipulation of results and indications of ballot box stuffing in favour of the ruling Frelimo party.
The October election was followed by weeks of unrest that claimed more than 300 lives as security forces cracked down on demonstrations called by the main opposition leader to support his claim that the ballot was rigged.
President Daniel Chapo from Frelimo, which has governed the gas-rich but impoverished nation for around 50 years, took office mid-January after the election authority said he won 65 per cent of the vote.
The final report by the EU’s Election Observation Mission’s noted several irregularities in the election.
“Although the EU EOM did not observe systematic flaws during the voting process, the subsequent counting phase lacked in transparency and insufficient safeguards to ensure the integrity of the count,” it said.