The full bulletin in pdf is on https://bit.ly/Moz-El-177
The political atmosphere in the National Elections Commission is tense. The Deputy Chair of the CNE, Fernando Mazanga, appointed by Renamo, is suing CNE member Daud Ibramogy, whom he accuses of threatening him with death during the 31st extraordinary plenary session of the CNE, held on 9 November.
Mazanga says he presented a complaint this Tuesday, 14 November at the Maputo City Second Police Precinct. Given the status of the accused, Mazanga will make his complaint official today, 15 November at the Criminal Department of the Attorney-General’s Office (PGR).
Some members of the CNE present at the meeting confirm the threat. They say that there was an argument between Daud Ibramogy and Fernando Mazanga, during the meeting to approve the chairs of the district elections commissions (CDEs),. Mazanga argued that the chairs of the district commissions should be people of recognized merit within their districts and that their curricula should be included in the case files under discussion. The CDE chairs must, by law, come from civil society.
No understanding was reached during the meeting and so the representatives of Renamo suggested an open vote on the decisions. The majority of the members of the CNE agreed, including Bishop Carlos Matsinhe, but Daud Ibramogy did not agree and accused Fernando Mazanga, the deputy chair of the CNE, of having damaged him by accusing the members from civil society of being towed along behind Frelimo. For him, the declaration of Fernando Mazanga after the approval of the election results, led to his removal from the leadership of the mosque in the Maputo Aeroporto neighbourhood.
In the heat of the discussion, during the meeting Daud Ibramorgy stood up and, gesticulating, declared “this man has damaged my life. If I had my gun, I would shoot him. Even so it’s not going to finish like this. I’ll go to your house and kill you, you old drunk”. The threats were condemned by all the other members of the CNE.
The same day, Daud Ibramogy repented of his words, but instead of phoning Mazanga to apologise, he asked Bishop Matsinhe to apologise in his name. Matsinhe suggested a meeting between Mazanga and Daud Ibramogy, under his mediation, at which Ibramogy would apologise. The meeting was fixed for Monday, 13 November, but Daud Ibramogy did not appear until 15.00, later than the time agreed. When contacted, he said he had been stuck in a traffic jam. Matsinhe as mediator had allowed Maznga to leave. Mazanga informed his party and his family about what had happened, and they advised him to complain to the police and to the PGR.
Contacted by the CIP Eleicoes Bulletin, Ibramogy said he does not know what Mazanga regards as a death threat, and claimed that he too has been receiving death threats, but from Renamo. He said he did not know that Mazanga planned to open criminal proceedings against him.
Recently, after his participation in approving the fraudulent election results, Daud Ibramogy was removed from his post as leader of the mosque in the Aeroporto neighbourhood of Maputo city, and consequently from the mosque residence where he had been living (read more here, Bulletin 176).
He has come under strong pressure from the Islamic community.. Some have asked the Islamic Council of Mozambique to distance itself publicly from the actions of Ibramogy, on the grounds that “a Muslim should always defend the truth”. For those who defend this concept, Ibramogy should not have voted to approve the fraudulent election results.
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Meeting to remove Bishop Matsinhe delayed?
The Standing Commission of the Anglican Church said it had postponed to a date yet to be announced the extraordinary meeting of the Standing Commission of the bishops, called to discuss the demand from the bishops of Mozambique and Angola that Carlos Matsinhe should resign from his post as bishop of the Libombos Diocese. No reason was given. But outside the Sao Cipriano parish where the meeting was to be held, several police cars were parked.
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Explainer: Parties and civil society in the CNE
The CNE has 17 members, 5 named by Frelimo, 4 by Renamo, and 1 by MDM, plus 7 from civil society. Civil society is largely polarised and aligned to parties. By an informal agreement, 4 of the civil society nominees come from Frelimo-aligned organisation, ensuring Frelimo a majority. The chair comes from the civil society nominees. Provincial and districts elections commissions are 3 Frelimo, 2 Renamo, 1 MDM and 9 civil society, and same informal agreement applies. This gives Frelimo control of all elections commissions. Both Matsinhe and Ibramogy are nominees of civil society organisations seen as sympathetic to Frelimo.
Carlos Matsinhe, Anglican Bishop of Lebombos, was nominated by the Mozambique Council of Churches. Daud Ibramogy was nominated by the Islamic Council, and is chair of that organisation’s youth office.
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Chairs of all district elections commissions take office
On Tuesday (14 November), in all the districts that do not contain municipalities, the Chairs of the District Elections Commissions were sworn into office, to prepare for the 2024 general elections. Districts with municipalities already have functioning CDEs.
