Lawyer of Mozambican presidential contender shot dead
Elvino Dias (left), a legal adviser and Paulo Guambe, a top leader of Podemos party.
What you need to know:
- Police said they the two were shot inside their car in the Malhangalene neighbourhood of the capital Maputo.
- The photos the Podemos party published showed a BMW vehicle with two individuals riddled with bullets.
A legal adviser of a Presidential candidate in Mozambique was on Saturday morning shot dead alongside an agent of an allied party in an incident which local police said the motive was unknown.
Mr Elvino Dias, the legal adviser for independent contender Venâncio Mondlane, was shot dead alongside Paulo Guambe, a top leader of Podemos party which supports Mondlane.
Police said they were shot dead inside their car in the Malhangalene neighbourhood of the capital Maputo on Saturday morning. The perpetrators of the crime are not known.
The incident could raise tensions in a country that has been gripped to details of vote counting since October 9 when it went to General Election to elect a new President, legislators and provincial governors. The local national electoral commission has 15 days, normally, to count and declare final results.
The Constitutional Council will then validate the results. Normally, it doesn’t have a deadline, for a final proclamation and may yet analyse and receive appeals from contenders.
Mr Mondlane had earlier caused a stir when he declared himself winner of elections, earning criticism from the electoral commission.
Mr Dias was a well-known defender of human rights cases in Mozambique and Mr Guambe was the Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos) party’s agent in the elections.
Podemos party said it was due to hold a press conference on the matter Saturday.
The photos the party published showed a BMW vehicle with two individuals riddled with bullets, a Mozambican licence plate, its windows smashed and several gunshot marks.
The National Criminal Investigation Service confirmed the murder adding that Police would comment on the case during the coming hours.
Local station Tv Sucesso Moz, reported that there was a third person in the vehicle, a woman whose identity had not been revealed. She was hit by a bullet but survived.
Witnesses reported that gunmen who were fleeing the scene also confiscated mobile phones of the victims and those who had witnesses the incident.
On social media, members of civil society groups called for urgent investigations.
Mr Arcelio Tivane, a prestigious Mozambican businessman who lives in South Africa wrote on his Facebook page that he was disturbed after the two assassinations.
“Honestly! I'm Super disturbed. Evil can no longer defeat GOOD. We just want PEACE! We want to live in peace. I want to go back to my country. I want to live in my country,” Mr Tivane wrote asking “but they needed to use 25 bullets. What kind of anger is that?”
According to provisional results, Mozambique's ruling party Frelimo and its candidate Daniel Chapo were leading results in all provinces.
Frelimo has egoverd Mozambique since independence from Portugal in 1975.
Independent candidate Mr Mondlane, who is supported by Podemos is seen as Frelimo and Chapo's biggest opponent, is second according to provisional results but he maintains that he was in the lead in accordance to his own count.
Mondlane says the elections were rigged and to contest the results he has called a national strike for Monday 21, which has already been discouraged by the Maputo authorities.
On Friday, Amnesty International (AI) expressed its concern over reports that police in Nampula city fired at and detained supporters of opposition presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane at a rally following disputed national elections.
“Regardless of who wins the election, Mozambican police must respect people’s right to peaceful assembly,” AI Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Khanyo Farise said.
“Shooting live bullets at a peaceful political rally and arbitrarily detaining opposition supporters is a gross violation of both Mozambican and international human rights law,” she added.
