Parliamentary and presidential elections were held in Mozambique on October 9. The Frelimo party, which has been in power for 49 years, was declared the winner.
The demonstrations that followed the elections in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, turned violent on the night between Thursday and Friday.
Parliamentary and presidential elections were held in Mozambique on October 9. On Thursday, the country’s election commission declared the candidate of the ruling party Frelimo as the winner of the presidential election Daniel Chapon with a 71 percent vote share.
Frelimo has been in power for 49 years. Hundreds of opposition supporters called the election stolen and the election commission corrupt.
European Union election observers said on Tuesday that they had found ambiguities in the vote counting. According to observers, the results were changed at polling stations and constituencies without justification.
Leader of the Opposition Venancio Mondlane has declared himself the winner and called on people to protest because of the election fraud. Officially, he got only 20 percent of the votes.
After the announcement of the election results, protesters set fire to car tires and blocked highways in Maputo and destroyed Frelimo billboards.
Some threw stones at the riot police, who in turn dispersed the crowd with tear gas. According to information from AFP, there were communication interruptions in Maputo.
There were also gatherings in several other cities. In Nampula, located in the northern part of the country, one person died in clashes between protesters and the police.
Source: AFP