Jan 13, Monday 2025, East Africa: Mozambique opened its new parliament on January 13, 2025, amid ongoing protests and strikes. Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane called for a national strike from January 13 to January 15, 2025. The protest results of the disputed October 2024 elections. Mondlane claims that the election results were rigged in favor of Daniel Chap’s Frelimo party. The party has been in power for 50 years. The streets of the capital, Maputo were largely deserted as most shops were closed, and protesters set up barricades.
Two minor opposition parties, Renamo and the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), boycotted the opening ceremony. They stated that they did not accept the election outcome of the October election while the incoming president, Daniel Chapo. Renamo’s 28 MPs and the eight from MDM stayed astray in protest. They argued that the opening of parliament constituted a social outrage and an expression of lack of respect for the will of Mozambicans and were deprived of free, fair, and transparent elections.
The situation in Mozambique has been characterized by months of deadly protests and unrest since the disputed elections. The unrest has resulted in huge economic losses, as cross-border trade was disrupted and shipping, mining, and industry were affected. Ahead of the new parliament’s opening, Chapo called for calm and unity, emphasizing the need for stability and development in the country.
Military police surrounded the parliament building and blocked the main roads to the area during the inauguration ceremony, indicating the tense security situation. The opposition leader Mondlane urged his supporters to demonstrate their refusal of the official election result, and he is ready for dialogue to resolve the standoff. Keep Reading Questiqa World and Questiqa India for more.
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