Mozambique opposition leader Mondlane cuts ties with party that backed him

Venâncio Mondlane

Mozambique opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane in Maputo on October 11, 2024. 

Photo credit: Reuters

Mozambique's main opposition leader, Venâncio Mondlane, has cut ties with the Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos) party, the movement that backed him in last year's presidential election.

Mr Mondlane, an independent candidate who came second in the race, the result of which he is contesting, this week accused Podemos of "selling out the people's struggle".

Podemos was registered as a political party in May 2019, and is made up of dissidents from the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo). Its popularity has gradually grown since then, and it became the main opposition party after supporting Mondlane's candidacy.

In the October 9, 2024 elections, Podemos won 43 seats in parliament, depriving the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) of the status it had held since the first multi-party elections in 1994.

On Tuesday, Mr Mondlane posted on his social media: “Office of the People's Elected President announces the end of the Coalition Agreement with Podemos, signed on 21 August 2024.”

Later, a statement attributed to Mondlane's adviser, Dinis Tivane, said, “The old tactic of accommodation under the guise of inclusion is underway.”

Meanwhile, Podemos spokesperson Duclésio Chico said that the party would not recognise the statement from Mondlane’s office, arguing that its agreement was signed specifically with Venâncio Mondlane and not with Dinis Tivane.

“The agreement is no longer valid at the moment because Venâncio Mondlane violated the confidentiality clause, but we are still trying to uphold this agreement. However, he has broken it again, insulting and disrespecting our president,” Mr Chico said.

Mondlane’s differences with Podemos have been a writing on the wall for several weeks now. He opposed the swearing-in of Podemos MPs, calling it a betrayal of democracy and of Mozambicans. The legislators went ahead to take the oath in January alongside the Frelimo team in a session boycotted by other elected representatives.

The statement on the split added that “it soon became clear that the Podemos party is not worth the paper it signed itself.”

“Acting in bad faith and circulating a clearly falsified agreement, where the dominant feature is to give our movement a 5 percent share, the Podemos party has refused to comply with the Coalition Agreement signed on 21 August 2024 in Manhiça. Since, for us, not everything in life is money and positions, in respect for the pain of thousands of Mozambicans who have paid with their blood, mutilated limbs, kidnappings, summary and extrajudicial executions or even deprivation of liberty, we renounce the rights and prerogatives in favour of the Podemos party,” says the statement, which accuses the party of “selling out the people's struggle”.

“It is urgent to clarify that our political struggle is fundamentally for the salvation of Mozambique, and is not about the obsessive pursuit of material goods or any financial advantage based on the martyrdom of the people,” continues the document, which accuses the party of being lulled into a “supposed dialogue where until now it is unknown who will benefit, or will it be, as always, the political elites distributing among themselves endless perks, benefits and privileges.”

Mozambique descended into post-election chaos last October, with social unrest after Mondlane rallied supporters onto the streets to protest the outcome of the presidential election. The protests hurt economic activity, including the transport of goods to landlocked countries such as Zimbabwe.

According to Decide, a watchdog that monitors the electoral processes in Mozambique, at least 315 deaths died in the chaos, including two dozen children, and 750 people were shot.

The split between Mondlane and Podemos comes as the European Union's election observer mission is calling for a "truly inclusive dialogue" to bring peace to the southern African country.

“I believe that there is no political solution to this crisis without a dialogue that is truly inclusive and in which Venâncio Mondlane participates,” said the head of the EU mission, Laura Ballarín, at a press conference in Maputo to present their final report.

In a 97-page document, the mission says, “EU observers and interlocutors reported a clear tilt in the conditions of competition in favour of the ruling party and a blurred demarcation between the party and state resources.”

It points to irregularities that began during the voter registration period, adding that “the fundamental freedoms of peaceful assembly were not respected in the post-election period.”

President Daniel Chapo has been in dialogue with political parties to discuss state reforms, including amendments to the electoral law and the constitution. Following a meeting with four party leaders, excluding Mondlane, he announced a consensus on terms of reference to discuss state reforms, including changes to the electoral law.

Mr Mondlane has agreed to dialogue with the president.

“I have not been contacted (for dialogue) yet,” he said. “When I'm invited, I'll present my points of view. I've already given this message several times.”