The parliamentary group of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the main opposition force, booed and momentarily interrupted the speech of the Mozambican head of state during the annual report on the State of the Nation in Parliament today.
Dressed in black shirts, with writings rejecting what they classify as mega-fraud in the municipal elections of October 11th, the deputies of the main opposition party turned their backs on the head of state when the president of parliament, Esperança Bias, called him to give his report.
With hymns praising the party, shouts and chants, Renamo deputies booed Filipe Nyusi, demanding the restoration of “electoral truth” and calling the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), the party in power, “thieves”.
“We want electoral truth”, shouted the deputies, during Filipe Nyusi’s speech, even with the attention of the president of parliament. “Trufufa, Trufufa, it’s Renamo that’s passing by.
But Renamo is the one who won”, sang the deputies, an excerpt from that party’s song that went viral during these elections.
“The people are listening and we will continue”, said Filipe Nyusi, shortly after interrupting his speech, a situation that occurred at least three times.
Even with the attention of the President of Parliament, the Renamo deputies continued to sing and shout, making it impossible to understand Filipe Nyusi’s speech, who was trying to speak louder.
Renamo has been leading protests across the country against what it calls mega-fraud in the municipal elections on October 11th.
The Constitutional Council (CC), the body of last instance of electoral justice with competence to validate elections in Mozambique, proclaimed on 24 November Frelimo the winner of the local elections in 56 municipalities, against the previous 64, with Renamo winning four, and ordered the elections to be repeated in four others.
The streets of some Mozambican cities, including Maputo, were taken over by consecutive opposition demonstrations against what they consider to have been a “mega-fraud” in the local elections process and the results announced by the CNE, also criticized by civil society and non-governmental organizations.