A lawyer for a prominent Mozambican opposition figure and an official of the party were shot dead in the capital Maputo.
Elvino Díaz is the lawyer of Benacio Mondlane, who ten days ago ran for President of Mozambique on behalf of Podemos.
Díaz and Podemos official Paul Guanbe were killed when gunmen attacked their car.
“They were brutally assassinated [in a] Cold-blooded murder,” said the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD), a local rights group.
” signs [are] About 10 to 15 bullets were shot and they died immediately,” said Adriano Nuvunga, the group’s director.
Another group, the election watchdog Mais Integridade, said the killings were aimed at intimidating anyone who demands transparency in polls.
One of the victims, Dias, died at the scene, but witnesses said another victim, Guambe, died of his injuries hours later and claimed police arrived to assist them in a car. The ambulance prevented his evacuation.
Witnesses also claimed police censorship and intimidation prevented them from recording scenes of violence and confiscated and damaged several mobile phones.
Police denied any wrongdoing and said they would take all necessary measures in the coming days to prevent any acts of vandalism, violence or public disorder.
“Of course we condemn this heinous crime and assure us that we are taking every step to clarify the case,” police spokesman Lionel Muchina said on Saturday.
Tributes were paid to Díaz, who was described by a Mozambican news website as “a shrewd lawyer, fearless and with the tenacity of a warrior”.
“Elvino is a kind, peaceful man,” said Zenaido Machado of Human Rights Watch.
“Last year, during the local elections, he led several electoral tribunal cases against the Electoral Commission, which he won. This year, he is prepared to do so again.”
Mozambique’s electoral votes are still being counted. Mondelein said he had won and disputed the pro-liberation Frelimo party’s claim that they were in the lead. He called for a nationwide strike on Monday.
The European Union, which has an observer mission in Mozambique monitoring the electoral process, called the killing a heinous crime and urged the Mozambican government to conduct an independent investigation.
The EU said the incidents followed “worrying reports of violent dispersal by supporters following last week’s election”.
Western observers have expressed doubts about the election’s credibility.
Voter buying, voter roll inflation in the Frelimo stronghold and voter intimidation were reported by the U.S.-based International Republican Institute, which sent a multinational election observation mission to Mozambique.
Mozambique has historically been dominated by just one political party – Frelimo – which has ruled the southern African country for half a century since independence from Portugal.
The country is certain to have a new president, as President Filipe Nyusi is stepping down at the end of his term.
His successor, FRELIMO leader, is 47-year-old Daniel Chapo.
His rivals in this election are Podemos’s Mondlane, former rebel commander and leader of the main opposition Resistance party Osufo Momad, and Mozambique’s Democratic Movement’s Lutero Simango.
A civil war raged from 1977 to 1992 between the Frelimo government, supported by Cuba and the Soviet Union, and the anti-communist Mozambican National Resistance Movement (MoZambican National Resistance Movement) rebels.
The conflict resulted in more than a million deaths in fighting and subsequent famine.
The Mozambican Resistance Movement remains Mozambique’s largest opposition party and was the springboard for Mondlane’s political career before he defected to the newly formed Podemos party earlier this year.
Mozambique is rich in natural resources, including rubies and natural gas, but is also battling an Islamist insurgency in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. Soldiers from dozens of countries have been deployed Come and help.
Additional reporting by Natasha Buti