Harare, Dec 26 (IANS): Zimbabwean President and Southern African Development Community (SADC) Chairperson Emmerson Mnangagwa welcomed a court ruling that proclaimed Daniel Chapo the winner of the October 9 general elections of Mozambique.
"The ruling by that country's top electoral court, which upheld Frelimo party's victory, completes and thus exhausts all lawful processes on determining election results, in line with that country's national laws, and in keeping with SADC's Election Guidelines and expectations," Mnangagwa said in a statement on Wednesday.
He said SADC expects all parties to the electoral process to abide by the decision of the Constitutional Council of Mozambique, noting that the ruling should provide a constitutional way forward for the country and facilitate greater peace, normalcy, and stability in the southern African country, Xinhua news agency reported.
"SADC stands ready to assist the incoming government and the people of Mozambique, in consolidating their electoral democracy on the basis of the aforesaid Court decision which should be held sacrosanct by all," Mnangagwa said.
Mnangagwa also urged the international community to respect the sovereign will of the people and the Republic of Mozambique and encouraged constructive support towards peace, law, and order by all those concerned.
On Monday, Mozambique's Constitutional Council, the body in charge of constitutional and electoral affairs, proclaimed Daniel Chapo the winner of the October 9 general elections.
Chapo will take the baton from the incumbent president Filipe Nyusi to become the fifth president of the Republic of Mozambique.
As the presidential candidate of the ruling party Frelimo, Chapo has won 65.17 per cent of the votes, less than the 70.67 per cent announced on October 24 by the National Electoral Commission (CNE), according to the data released by President of the CC Lucia Ribeiro in Maputo, the Mozambican capital.
Venancio Mondlane, supported by the extra-parliamentary Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique or Podemos, obtained 24.19 per cent of the votes, higher than the 20.32 per cent announced by the CNE.
SADC is a regional economic community comprising 16 member states including Zimbabwe and Mozambique.