Mozambique's main opposition leader, Venâncio Mondlane, has announced that he will run for president on January 15 after rejecting his defeat in the presidential elections.
His announcement came as his supporters staged violent protests across the country to end the 49-year rule of the Frelimo party.
The capital Maputo was like a ghost town on Christmas Eve, with almost all businesses closed and people staying at home to avoid being caught up in the worst unrest in the city since the rise of Frelimo. to power at independence in 1975.
Frelimo offices, police stations, banks and factories have been looted, vandalized and set on fire across the country.
The latest unrest erupted on Monday after Mozambique's highest court upheld the victory of Frelimo's presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, in elections held in October.
Mondlane had challenged the result, claiming the poll was rigged.
In a Facebook live broadcast to his supporters on Tuesday, Mondlane said he rejected the constitutional court's ruling, saying he would assume the presidency on January 15 – the day Chapo is expected to be sworn in. .
President Filipe Nyusi is expected to step down at the end of his two terms.
It is unclear how Mondlane plans to take office, as he is currently in exile in an unknown country.
He has often rallied his supporters through speeches on Facebook live, but has urged them to remain peaceful.
“We are with the people. We do not advocate violence of any kind,” said Mondlane in his latest speech.
Chapo has yet to comment on his statement.
The October election was the first time both of them had run for the presidency, with the electoral commission declaring Chapo the winner with 71% of the vote to Mondlane's 20%.
The constitutional court reviewed the result, giving the Frelimo candidate 65% and Mondlane 24%.
Rights groups say more than 100 people have been killed in violence since the elections.
They accuse the security forces of being responsible for many of the deaths, but police chief Bernadino Rafael had previously told the BBC that his officers were defending themselves after being attacked.
Mondlane fled Mozambique after police accused him of threatening behaviour, and two of his aides were killed in October.
The 50-year-old evangelical minister contested the election as an independent after breaking away from the main opposition Renamo party.
His support is strongest among young people, many of whom are unemployed and want change.
Frelimo nominated the 47-year-old Chapo as the youngest presidential candidate ever.
He has previously rejected suggestions that he and Frelimo staged the poll, saying: “We are an organized party that prepares its benefits. “
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(Getty Images/BBC)
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