Mozambican opposition party Renamo has launched a legal challenge to the results of the country’s October elections.
The country’s electoral commission had announced a landslide win for the ruling party, Frelimo. With a tally of some 3.3 million, it secured around three quarters of the votes cast. Renamo received a little over 900 000 or some 20% of the total.
Renamo has alleged ‘massive electoral fraud’ in the poll, and that the government engaged in intimidation. It argues that the result is ‘null and void’.
Some 158 people have been convicted for crimes associated with the election, with another 140 awaiting trial. Fourteen convictions were for the ‘stuffing’ of ballot boxes.
A number of people were reported killed in the run-up to the ballot. Among them was the leader of Renamo’s women’s league.
Frelimo has expressed faith in the process, insisting the election was ‘free and fair’. The Southern African Development Community said that the elections were ‘generally peaceful and conducted in an orderly manner’.
Mozambique underwent a debilitating civil war between 1975 and 1992, but hostilities resumed in 2013. A peace agreement between Renamo and Felimo was concluded in August this year. It remains to be seen what impact the current dispute will have on Mozambique’s prospects.