There is a tense atmosphere in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, as the country awaits a court ruling on the outcome of the disputed October presidential election results, which sparked weeks of deadly protests when it was first announced.
Venâncio Mondlane, who came second according to the official count, has spent most of the past two months calling on his supporters to demonstrate against what he believes was a rigged vote.
Mondlane himself is in exile after fleeing the country and accusing police of threatening behavior, not long after two of his aides were shot dead in October.
In a weekend post on social media, he said there could be a “new popular uprising” if the result was not overturned.
The usual hustle and bustle that characterizes the greater Maputo area on weekdays and during public holidays has given way to silence and empty roads – a scene that has become common in this region since popular demonstrations began on October 21.
In what appears to be a preparation for this latest phase of protests, some demonstrators have already started blocking roads and preventing car traffic in Maputo.
The Constitutional Court is expected to announce its ruling at 3pm (1pm GMT).
Earlier this month, Mondlane told the BBC that there was “no way” he could accept the election result, in which Frelimo’s candidate Daniel Chapo won with 71% of the vote.
50-year-old evangelical pastor Mondlane, who ran as an independent, received 20%.
The election commission denied Mondlane’s claim that the poll was rigged in favor of Frelimo, which has been in power since independence 49 years ago.
But international election observers have said the election was flawed, pointing to rigged numbers and other irregularities in the counting process.
The weeks-long demonstrations have led to violent encounters with police and at least 110 people have been killed, according to local monitoring group Plataforma Decide.
It is claimed that many of those killed were killed by security forces, but police commander Bernadino Rafael had previously told the BBC that his officers had defended themselves after being attacked.
In a message to the largely Catholic country, Pope Francis on Sunday called for dialogue and the pursuit of the common good.
Mondlane has spoken with the outgoing president, Filipe Nyusi, but it is not clear what the outcome of the talks was.
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