MAPUTO (Reuters) – Mozambique police on Monday fired teargas at protesters in the capital Maputo who had gathered at the scene where two opposition party figures were shot dead on Saturday after a disputed election.
The full results of Mozambique’s Oct. 9 national election are expected this week, with early results showing that the ruling party Frelimo is set for another win. Opposition candidates say the poll was rigged.
Frelimo has ruled the southern African country since 1975 and has been accused of electoral fraud by opposition leaders, civil society and election observers, which it denies.
“The police are turning this into a violent protest because they are firing at us. We are here to demand that the truth about the election is upheld,” said protester Vladimir Manhique, a 32-year-old car mechanic.
“This is a way to demonstrate that enough is enough. This regime must fall,” he said.
A Reuters reporter saw one man in civilian clothing who fired a gun at the crowd and later got into a car with a police officer. Mozambican police have used live ammunition at political protests in the past, including last year.
A police spokesperson could not immediately be reached.
Gunmen killed an opposition lawyer and a party official in their car in Maputo early Saturday, raising tensions ahead of a planned national strike on Monday organised by independent presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane.
Mondlane said on Monday that the strike was a success and told the protesters to go home after the clashes with police.
Many businesses were closed in Maputo and streets were quieter than usual.
Mozambique’s electoral commission has declined to comment on accusations of fraud. U.S.-based observers said the poll did not meet international standards for democratic elections, noting reports of vote buying, intimidation, inflated voter rolls and other issues.
(Reporting by Manuel Mucari, Siphiwe Sibeko, Siyabonga Sishi; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Ros Russell)
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