By Jack Parbrook
Not The Chapo for The Job: Disputed Election in Mozambique
Daniel Chapo was announced as the winner of Mozambique’s presidential election on the 24th of October. Chapo is a member of the Frelimo party, who have governed Mozambique for almost half a century and won 195 of the 250 seats in the country’s parliament. He gained 71% of the vote, compared to a mere 20% for his nearest challenger Venâncio Mondlane.
Unfortunately for Chapo and Frelimo, the results have been disputed. Groups ranging from bishops, to civil society groups, to the EU have called into question the validity of the results. Not helping Chapo’s case was him being congratulated on his resounding victory by president Emmerson Mnangawa of Zimbabwe, who congratulated Chapo on his ‘resounding victory’ prior the announcement of the election’s result.
Most egregiously of all, Monlane’s lawyer, Elvino Dias was shot dead along with Paulo Guambe on the 18th of October. He had previously won court cases against Mozambique’s election commission and was preparing a case regarding this election before his death; it has been suggested that the killings were intended to act as a warning to anyone tempted to dispute the election’s result.
Sunset of Empire: Britain Gives Mauritius the Chagos Islands
On the 3rd of October, Britain announced it would cede ownership of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The islands, situated in the Indian Ocean, have been under British control since 1814, though Mauritius has claimed them since 1982, on the grounds that the two territories were governed together in the early 20th century.
As part of the deal, a 99-year lease on the strategically important military base of Diego Garcia has been granted to the British, with the base continuing to be operated by the USA. Nevertheless, concerns over Mauritius’ close ties to China and India have led some to fret over the security of the lease in the event of the diplomatic interests of Mauritius severely diverging from those of the USA and the UK.
Whilst Britain may have lost prestige, a strategic asset, and money, perhaps those who have lost the most from this arrangement are the people from the Chagos Islands themselves. After Mauritius became independent, Chagossans were deported to the Seychelles and Mauritius; many Chagossans found themselves in the UK and the government granted the people of the islands citizenship in 2022. The Chagossans did not get a voice on the matter of whether the islands should become part of Mauritius and only those with citizenship of Mauritius are being permitted to resettle the islands.
In Brief
China has strengthened its relationship with Afghanistan by removing tariffs on trade in construction, energy and consumer goods. Analysts have suggested China is doing this in a bid to access Afghanistan’s natural resources of lithium, copper and iron – vital components in Chinese industry.
Israel attacked air-defence facilities and missile factories in Iran on the 26th of October. Israel claim to have incapacitated Iran’s air defence systems, bolstering Israeli air power in Iran and making potential future strikes easier. Iran stated its response will be ‘measured’.
North Korean troops are being trained by Russia to fight in Ukraine. It is estimated that there around 3,000 troops in Russia and there are reports that some have been sent to the front lines already.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own, and may not reflect the opinions of the St Andrews Economist
Image Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ISS006-E-43833_-_View_of_the_Chagos_Archipelago.jpg
