The National Electoral Commission (CNE), through its spokesman, Paulo Cuinica, said today in Maputo that the self-proclamation of the winner of an election does not constitute an electoral offense, and asks for proof, in the case of Venâncio Mondlane.

Responding to a question on the subject, Cuinica's first reading was that it looked like a claim, and he therefore clarified that there are appropriate bodies for settling electoral disputes.

He explained that the results are announced in stages, from the partial tabulation at polling stations, at district, provincial and central level, to the subsequent procedures by the Constitutional Council.

"Someone announcing that they are already President of the Republic cannot be the responsibility of the electoral bodies, because the mechanisms put in place in the Republic of Mozambique are the ones we announced. Therefore, they will have to wait until the competent bodies announce the result," he said.

Nevertheless, Cuinica noted that Venâncio Mondlane's attitude "so far cannot be classified as electoral wrongdoing. However, it is a question of ethics, above all. We hope that this mechanism will be followed up, all that is needed is proof. Those who allege have to prove it, obviously. So, in the electoral process you also have to present the evidence."

For Cuinica, since Venâncio Mondlane and the Podemos party have demonstrated to the public that they have a parallel vote-counting center, and may even have public notices, which leads them to proclaim themselves winners, it is hoped that they will be able to present "all the evidence they have in order to decide on this complaint" to the competent institutions.