Hundreds of opposition supporters protested on Wednesday as Mozambique inaugurated its new president following a contentious election and deadly unrest.
The new president took the oath of office in front of around 2,500 people under intense heat at a city hall in the capital, Maputo. Meanwhile, opposition supporters gathered nearby, peacefully protesting but were blocked by security forces armed with guns and batons.
To prevent access to the venue, security forces sealed off several roads and maintained a heavy presence throughout Maputo.
In his address, Chapo, a 48-year-old law graduate, emphasized the urgency of ending the nation’s instability. He stated, “Social harmony cannot wait, nor can the building of consensus on the issues that concern the Mozambican people. The dialogue has already begun, and we will not rest until we have a united and cohesive country.”
In December, Mozambique’s Constitutional Council declared Chapo the official winner of the presidential election, with 65.17% of the vote, rejecting a challenge from opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane, who received 24%.
A series of protests and a violent crackdown by security forces following the elections have left at least 300 people, including scores of children, dead, according to local and international human rights organizations.
Mondlane, a 50-year-old pastor, has been leading the push for protests through messages on platforms such as Facebook to demand the “restoration of the electoral truth.” Some Western countries, including the United States, have also questioned the credibility of the elections.
