Mozambique swore in its new parliament on Monday with the streets of the capital deserted after the opposition leader called a strike to protest the result of highly disputed elections.Two smaller opposition parties boycotted the ceremony, saying they did not accept the outcome of the October 9 election, as the incoming president, Daniel Chapo, called for calm and unity after months of deadly unrest.Fifty-year-old opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who is popular with the youth, claims the results were rigged in favour of Chapo’s Frelimo party that has been in power for 50 years.Unrest since the election has claimed around 300 lives, according to a tally by a local rights group, with security forces accused of using excessive force against demonstrators. Police officers have also died, according to the authorities. Mondlane urged supporters at the weekend to “demonstrate our refusal” of the official result with a national strike from Monday to Wednesday, when Chapo, 48, will be sworn in as president.Military police surrounded the parliament building and police blocked main roads to the area during the inauguration ceremony. The city centre was deserted with most shops closed and protesters manning barricades in certain areas, an AFP reporter said.In the suburb of Matola, one person died during clashes between protesters and police, one rights group told AFP, without giving details. Chapo and outgoing President Filipe Nyusi were present as parliamentarians from Frelimo — which won 171 seats — and the Podemos party — which has 43 — were sworn in to the 250-seat national assembly.Renamo’s 28 MPs and the eight from the MDM stayed away in protest.- ‘Difficult five years’ -“It’s going to be a difficult five years,” said cleaner Dario Machava, 29, while walking home due to transport disruptions in the capital. “The people’s causes will be marginalised.” Elton Carolina was more optimistic, pointing to the rise of political awareness among the youth. “People are going to make demands of these MPs who took office today,” the 27-year-old said. Official results gave Chapo 65 percent of the presidential vote compared to 24 percent for Mondlane.But the opposition leader claims he won 53 percent and that Mozambique’s election institutions manipulated the results.Mondlane returned to Mozambique on Thursday after going into hiding abroad following the October 19 assassination of his lawyer.Thousands of jubilant supporters rallied in the city centre to meet him, sparking clashes with security forces that left at least three dead, according to an election monitor.In her first address, the speaker of the new parliament, Margarida Talapa, offered a “word of solidarity to the families who lost their loved ones in this difficult time for our country.”- Call for stability -Chapo said Mozambique needed stability and unity. With a new parliament in place, “we can continue to work and together, united … to develop our country”, he told journalists as he entered the building.The unrest has caused major losses to the economy, stopping cross-border trade and affecting shipping, mining and industry.Former president Joaquim Chissano said the new parliament needed to find answers to the “many things that are not right in the country”.”All debate should be about finding solutions,” Chissano, in power from 1986 to 2005, told reporters.There have been several calls for dialogue to resolve the standoff but Mondlane has been excluded from talks that Chapo and Nyusi have opened with the leaders of the main political parties. Mondlane repeated after landing in Maputo Thursday that he was ready for dialogue. “I’m here in the flesh to say that if you want to negotiate… I’m here,” he said.
Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:39:07 GMT
