Leading supporters of the top opposition presidential candidate, Venâncio Mondlane, were fatally shot in their car following an election marred by allegations of fraud.
A lawyer and a party official for the leading opposition candidate in Mozambique’s recent presidential election were fatally shot in their car late Friday night, inflaming tensions in a southern African nation that was already on edge after the highly disputed vote this month.
The lawyer, Elvino Dias, had been preparing to challenge in court the results for the candidate, Venâncio Mondlane, whose quick rise in popularity saw him outperform every other opposition candidate in the Oct. 9 poll. Several independent election observation missions said they saw irregularities in the voting process that tilted the race in favor of Daniel Chapo, the candidate for Frelimo, the former liberation party, which has governed this coastal nation since independence nearly 50 years ago.
The stakes were high in the race to replace President Filipe Nyusi, who is leaving office after serving his two-term limit.
Although the final results have not been announced, Mr. Chapo holds a sizable lead in the tallies released thus far.
Even before the killing, Mr. Mondlane — whose magnetic persona attracted broad support from Mozambique’s disgruntled youth — had said he was being cheated, and he urged Mozambicans to take to the streets in protest. Podemos, the party supporting him, had organized a strike for Monday, with Mr. Dias among the key organizers.
Paulo Guambe, a senior Podemos official, was also killed when gunmen in two vehicles ambushed the car carrying him and Mr. Dias, and opened fire in the capital of Maputo, according to the police.
