MAPUTO (Reuters) – Mozambican police fired tear gas at hundreds of opposition supporters converging on the capital Maputo on Thursday for the biggest demonstration yet against last month’s disputed election.
Human rights groups say at least 18 people have been killed in the police crackdown on protests since the Oct. 9 vote, which extended ruling party Frelimo’s five decades in power.
Opposition parties, civil society groups and Western observers said the election was unfair and that results were altered.
A Frelimo spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. The party has also been accused of vote-rigging in previous polls and has denied it.
Thursday was dubbed the “Day of Freedom” in flyers distributed on social media by presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, who commands a strong following among the country’s disenchanted youth and came second in the official election results but claims to have won.
Security forces were out in force along the main highway into Maputo on Thursday morning, as crowds of people tried to make their way into the city on foot, said a Reuters witness.
Elsewhere in the city, groups of protesters burned tires and blocked roads. South Africa closed its main border crossing on Wednesday for security reasons, and its foreign ministry advised its citizens against all but essential travel to Mozambique.
South African logistics company Grindrod on Thursday said it had suspended port and terminal operations in Mozambique.
Mozambique’s Constitutional Council on Tuesday ordered the electoral commission to clarify within 72 hours why there had been discrepancies in the number of votes counted in the presidential, legislative and provincial elections, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
An electoral commission spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
(Reporting by Siphiwe Sibeko and Manuel Mucari; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Alexander Winning and Ros Russell)
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