By ggablog 
Gunmen have killed Elvino Dias, the lawyer for Mozambique’s opposition presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, and Paulo Guambe, a senior member and spokesperson for the PODEMOS opposition party. The fatal shooting occurred in Maputo, the capital, late Friday night, amidst high tensions in the country as it awaits the results of a contentious election ¹.
The election, held on October 9, has been marred by allegations of vote rigging and electoral fraud against the governing Frelimo party, which has been in power since 1975. PODEMOS, a relatively new opposition party, has challenged Frelimo’s 49-year rule, and Mondlane, running as an independent, has received support from PODEMOS ¹.
The killings have sparked outrage, with Adriano Nuvunga, director of the Centre for Democracy and Development, labeling the incident a “political assassination” ¹. The Mozambican Bar Association has also condemned the “barbaric murder,” calling it an attack on the legal profession, independence, and democracy ¹.