Police vow to protect all ‘key players’ during Mozambique election process

The Commander-in-Chief of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) launched an operation on Thursday to ensure security for the electoral process, the campaign for which begins on Saturday, promising to protect “all the main actors”.

“We guarantee the safety of the candidates and the leaders of the lists, because our mission is to protect those who are the main actors in this electoral process,” said Bernardino Rafael during the launch of Operation Planet V in Maputo.

Mozambique’s police commander-in-chief reiterated that the corporation’s mission is to guarantee a “safe and orderly” electoral process, calling on political parties to conduct a peaceful election campaign that will last 45 days.

“Let’s all unite (…) We are asking the political parties to trust us,” Bernardino Rafael stressed.

Presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane accused a Mozambican police officer on Sunday of trying to kill him in Zavala district, Inhambane province, in the south of the country, but the corporation rejected the charges the next day, saying the undercover officer had been “appropriately escalated” to protect Mondlane’s supporters.

“This was an assassination attempt on the people’s candidate,” Mondlane said in a statement posted on Facebook, adding that a plainclothes police officer “suddenly tried” to approach him from behind, was subdued and had his pistol and 15 rounds of ammunition taken away.

During his speech on Thursday, the General Commander of the Mozambican Police confirmed that no candidate is planned to be eliminated in this process.

“The police are not here to attempt the life of any candidate (…) The police have never tried or planned to eliminate the life of any candidate. Let’s stop with the drama in terms of security (…) We are the ones who know how security is done. We may be in civilian clothes or in uniform, but we are the ones who know our security object,” said Bernardino Rafael.

Mozambique will hold general elections on October 9, with campaigning officially starting on Saturday, with ballots that include presidential, legislative and provincial assembly elections.

For Ponta Vermelha (the official residence of the head of state in Mozambique) are Daniel Chapo, supported by the Mozambican Liberation Front (Frelimo, in power), Ossufo Momade, supported by the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo, the main opposition party), Luther Simango, supported by the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), the third parliamentary force, and Venancio Mondlane, now supported by the extra-parliamentary Popular Optimist for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos).