Mozambique tense ahead of ruling on disputed election

There is a tense atmosphere in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, as the country awaits a court ruling on the outcome of October’s contested presidential election result, which when first announced sparked weeks of deadly protests.

Venâncio Mondlane, who came second according to the official count, has been calling on his supporters for much of the past two months to demonstrate against what he said was a rigged vote.

Mondlane, himself, is in exile having fled the country accusing the police of threatening behaviour not long after two of his aides were shot dead in October.

In a weekend social media message, he said there could be a “new popular uprising” if the result was not overturned.

The usual hustle and bustle that characterises the greater Maputo area on workdays and during the festive season has been replaced by silence and empty roads – a scene that has become common in this region since the popular demonstrations began on 21 October.

In what appears to be preparation for this latest phase of protests, some demonstrators have already begun blocking roads and preventing vehicle traffic in Maputo.

The Constitutional Court is due to begin announcing its ruling at 15:00 (13:00 GMT).

Earlier this month, Mondlane told the BBC there was “no way” he could accept the election result, in which Frelimo’s candidate Daniel Chapo won with 71% of the vote.

The 50-year-old evangelical pastor Mondlane, who stood as an independent, received 20%.

The electoral commission denied Mondlane’s allegation that the poll was rigged in favour of Frelimo, which has have been in power since independence 49 years ago.

But international election observers have said the elections were flawed, pointing to doctored numbers and other irregularities during the counting process.

The weeks-long demonstrations have led to violent encounters with the police and at least 110 people have been killed, local monitoring group Plataforma Decide said.

It is alleged that many of those who have died have been killed by security forces, but a police commander Bernadino Rafael had previously told the BBC that his officers had been defending themselves after coming under attack.

In a message on Sunday to the largely Catholic country, Pope Francis called for dialogue and the pursuit of the common good to prevail.

Mondlane has been speaking to the outgoing President, Filipe Nyusi, but it is not clear what the outcome of the talks has been.