Mozambique’s legislators sworn in amid protests, boycotts

 

Members of Parliament of the Liberation Party of Mozambique (FRELIMO) attend the swearing in ceremony of the new Parliament at the National Assembly in Maputo, Jan. 13, 2025.

Maputo, Mozambique —

Mozambique\’s newly-elected parliament convened Monday in the capital as 210 members took their oaths of office amid a boycott and protests by opposition parties who have disputed the results of the recent elections.

Armored vehicles and military police surrounded the parliament building and police blocked main roads to the area during the inauguration ceremony in the capital on Monday.

Security was reinforced across Maputo, which is usually busy on a Monday morning, but was deserted with most shops closed after supporters of presidential runner-up Venancio Mondlane barricaded access to certain areas.

Opposition leader Mondlane, who is popular with Mozambique’s youth, asserts the results were rigged in favor of the ruling Frelimo party that has been in power for 50 years.

Over the weekend, he urged his supporters to “demonstrate refusal” of the official election result with a national strike from Monday to Wednesday, the day President-elect Daniel Chapo is set to be inaugurated.

Two smaller opposition parties, Renamo and the Mozambique Democratic Movement, also boycotted the opening ceremony, saying they did not accept the outcome of the October election.

Of the legislators who took their seats on Monday, 39 represented the Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique, or PODEMOS. Another four of its members were absent.

PODEMOS, the party that supported Mondlane, is entering the Assembly of the Republic for the first time.

Mozambican soldiers escort VIP's to parliament in Maputo, Jan. 13, 2025.

At the entrance to the parliament, party leader Albino Forquilha said PODEMOS stands ready to fight Frelimo’s one-party rule.

He said, “In fact, what we are going to do today is very important. We had a first stage in which we fought against recognizing the results. And we held large protests in the country, which even resulted in many deaths, but then the results were validated. And now we understand, because of the irreversibility of these results, but also because we conform to the constitutional order, the fight moves to another stage, which is to discuss the issues here in parliament."

Renamo, formerly the largest opposition party, now ranks third with 28 members of parliament, while the Mozambique Democratic Movement, or MDM, holds fourth place with eight legislators.

Frelimo retains its parliamentary majority with 171 deputies, some of whom are returning members. During Monday’s swearing-in ceremony, the party’s senior member, Margarida Talapa, was elected parliament speaker. Talapa called for unity and said she intends to make the assembly an “excellence of politics” that promotes fruitful debates which can reach the consensus that she says the community expects for harmony, good coexistence and solidarity of all the citizens.

Political analyst Anastácio Chembeze said the new parliament is opening at a time when social outrage is very high, and many Mozambicans feel deprived of free, fair and transparent elections.

Therefore, he said, the current legislature will be challenged to truly represent the desires of youth who are dissatisfied and ready to push for change.

He said, “I hope for a conciliatory Assembly of the Republic, a space for dialogue and a space for consensus. I hope that the respect that the people deserve is seen from the assembly as a noble space of state as our point of reference.”

Forty legislators did not show up for Monday’s swearing-in ceremonies. These lawmakers have 30 days to take their seats in parliament or risk being replaced.

 

By：VOA