The main opposition Mozambique National Resistance (Renamo) on Monday rejected the outcome of last week’s general elections, describing it as a charade.
According to the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE), incumbent President Filipe Nyusi and the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) have established an unassailable lead following the completion of vote counting in the three provinces of Gaza, Inhambane and Sofala.
The results showed Nyusi with at least 70 percent of the popular vote in the three provinces compared to Renamo leader Ossufo Momade’s 21 percent.
Vote counting is continuing in the rest of the country, with Frelimo and Nyusi leading.
Momade however said his party would not accept the outcome.
“The desire of the Mozambicans and the international community was that these elections, preceded by the signing of the (Definitive) Peace Agreement and National Reconciliation and Pope Francis’ visit to our country, were fair and transparent free.
“Contrary to this common and genuine will, we have all shamefully had fraudulent elections never seen before in our country and around the world,” Momade told an extraordinary meeting of his party in Maputo on Monday.
Momade contends that the poll outcome is “the result of such fraud”, and wants his party to reach a party consensus on the results and pave a way forward.
Renamo is demanding a fresh poll that would be monitored by reputable foreign organisations.
Speaking Saturday at a press conference, Renamo secretary general André Magibire said the party was distancing itself from the results being announced by the media, allegedly because they did not “correspond to the will of the electorate”.
Magibire accused Frelimo of violating part of the peace deal signed by Nyusi and Momade in August.
He alleged a number of irregularities on voting day on 15 October, including the arrest of party delegates at polling stations.
CM/jn/APA