TENSIONS were high as Mozambique prepared for the swearing-in of President Daniel Chapo on Wednesday, amid continued street protests over the disputed parliamentary election result.
Thousands of people, predominantly young adults, have continued to take to the streets after last October’s election was declared in favour of the ruling Frelimo Party. The result extends the party’s 49-year hold on power. Frelimo is the founding party of modern Mozambique, which liberated its people from three centuries of Portuguese colonial rule in 1975, and held power for the 50 years that followed. In recent years, Frelimo’s liberation-era generals and ministers have been accused of fraud and corruption.
The result was finally confirmed only just before Christmas. The situation has continued to deteriorate in recent weeks, aid agencies say. Demonstrations have been met with tear gas and bullets from security forces, and more than 300 protesters are reported to have been killed. Shops have been looted and set alight.
The Opposition candidate, Venâncio Mondlane, alleges that the October result was rigged. The 179-person EU Election Observer mission reported “irregularities during the counting and unjustified alteration of election results at the polling station and district level”.
Mr Mondlane returned to the country after two months in exile, last week, to pursue his claims and urge his supporters to continue to protest, calling for a three-day national strike to mark the swearing-in of the new President and parliament.
The violent protests have prompted thousands of Mozambicans to flee to neighbouring Malawi and Eswatini.
The Mozambique Christian Council and the Mozambique Evangelical Association joined Christian leaders in Matola City to pray for peace and reconciliation, and met political leaders.
Tearfund’s country director for Zimbabwe and Mozambique, Judas Massingue, said: “Tearfund in Mozambique has been supporting the Mozambique Christian Council and the Mozambique Evangelical Association in their efforts to help restore peace in Mozambique. So far, meetings have been held with the Head of State as well as with the main parties that participated in the elections to discuss pathways for restoration of peace.”
Members of the South African Council of Churches met Christians in Mozambique online and issued a statement afterwards. It said: “We acknowledge the state of extreme vulnerability that Mozambique is experiencing at a political, economic, security, and social level. It is our belief that the very identity and fabric of Mozambique as a country is at risk of disintegration if no definitive steps are taken to arrest the current political stalemate, and return the country to a state of order and security.”