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Shooters kill 2 Mozambique opposition figures ahead of election protests

storyp1> JOHANNESBURG, Oct 19 (Reuters) Shooters killed a Mozambique opposition lawyer and a party official after firing several rounds at an automobile in which they were taking a trip on Saturday, ratcheting up stress ahead of protests against a contested election result, rights groups stated.

Mozambique's brand-new opposition Podemos party and its presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane have actually rejected provisionary results showing a most likely win for Frelimo, the celebration that has ruled Mozambique for half a century.

They have actually required a nationwide strike on Monday.

Mozambican civil society election observer group More Integrity stated the attack happened in the Bairro Da Coop area of the capital Maputo, killing Podemos lawyer Elvino Dias and party representative Paulo Guambe.

They were brutally assassinated (in a) cold-blooded murder, Adriano Nuvunga, director of Mozambique's Center for Democracy and Person Rights (CDD), told Reuters by telephone.

The signs that around 10 to 15 bullets were shot, and they died quickly.

Person Rights Watch also issued a statement confirming the attack.

According to the most recent election tally, Frelimo is leading in all 11 provinces and its prospect Daniel Chapo is widely expected to win the Oct. 9 election, however Western observers have actually called into question the reliability of the survey.

They kept in mind reports of vote purchasing, intimidation, pumped up citizen rolls in Frelimo strongholds and a lack of openness in collation - issues that have spoiled most polls given that Frelimo first introduced democracy in 1994 after 20 years in power.

Complete outcomes are expected on Oct. 24, but lots of fear Monday's protest might turn bloody. Mozambique's security forces have actually opened fire on political protesters in the past, consisting of after in 2015's regional elections, according to human rights groups.


(source: Reuters)