Frelimo, Mozambique's ruling party, reiterated yesterday that it will respect the decisions of the Constitutional Council (CC) in the face of opposition challenges to the results of the local elections, thanking it for its "vote of confidence".“.

"We are aware that there are still cases going through the courts and the Constitutional Council (CC). Frelimo will continue to wait with great serenity for the outcome of these processes and, as we have always said, we will respect the decisions that are taken by the competent institutions," said the party's secretary general, Roque Silva, quoted by Lusa, during a press conference in Maputo, shortly after the results of the sixth local elections were announced.

Mozambique's National Electoral Commission (CNE) announced today that the ruling party Frelimo won 64 of the country's 65 municipalities, while the MDM, the third largest party, won only in Beira.

According to Mozambican electoral legislation, the results of the ballot, strongly contested by the opposition, still have to be validated and proclaimed by the Constitutional Council, the country's highest electoral judicial body.

Roque Silva said that Frelimo is aware that the process of confirming the results is not yet over. He congratulated the MDM on its victory in the city of Beira, in Sofala, central Mozambique, and said that his party recognizes the success of that force and that it will make its contribution to local development programs.

"It's not because we didn't win elections in the city of Beira that we will stop contributing to its growth. Congratulations, MDM, on your victory," declared Roque Silva.

Thanking the "vote of confidence" placed in his party, Roque Silva said that Frelimo's victory was the result of "work that has been structured since the end of the 2018 local elections", saluting the party's members and supporters for their "hard work".