(Bloomberg) -- Mozambicans are bracing for more political turmoil following an opposition leader’s call for a week of protests against what he said was a rigged election.
Standard Bank Group Ltd.’s Mozambican unit said on its website that its branches wouldn’t open on Thursday and clients were advised to use its digital services. Television footage showed roads in Maputo, the capital, were unusually quiet. Access to social media and messaging platforms was cut off.
The official results showed the ruling party extending its 49-year hold on power and its presidential candidate Daniel Chapo winning 71% of the votes cast on Oct. 9. Independent candidate Venâncio Mondlane placed second, but he has dismissed the outcome as fraudulent.
The upheaval has cast a pall over the gas-rich southeast African nation, one of the world’s least developed, with Human Rights Watch reporting that police killed at least 11 people during post-election demonstrations. Mondlane has urged his supporters countrywide to converge on the capital for a mass rally on Nov. 7, raising fears of intensified clashes. The authorities have urged citizens to shun illegal gatherings.
The nation’s $900 million of dollar bonds fell 4.6% last week amid the unrest, their worst performance since July 2022.
An International Monetary Fund mission to Mozambique scheduled for November will take place virtually, the Washington-based lender said, without providing details.
Mondlane, who said he went into hiding for fear of assassination, has addressed supporters via live streams that have garnered millions of views. Aleix Montana, Africa Analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, expects the protest call to be widely heeded.
“The opposition leader enjoys sizable support among unemployed youths who are frustrated with the status quo and feel they have little to lose,” Montana said in reply to emailed questions. “We expect internet blackouts to increase next week as the government seeks to hinder his capacity to coordinate unrest.”
NetBlocks, which tracks internet shutdowns globally, confirmed social-media restrictions had been imposed in Mozambique on Thursday. The measure, which follows curbs on the use of mobile data last week, appears aimed at limiting participation in the protests, Isik Mater, the organization’s director of research, said by email.
Khanyo Farisè, regional director at Amnesty International called on the government and security forces to respect peoples’ right to protest. “Attempts to crush peaceful dissent with force risk exacerbating an already dire human rights situation,” she said in a statement Thursday.
Montana sees the prospect of protesters overthrowing the government as remote.
An influential group of Catholic bishops has called for dialog and suggested a possible government of national unity. Mondlane has indicated a willingness to talk on condition the authorities publish vote tallies from polling stations.
The Constitutional Council — which needs to verify the results the authorities announced Oct. 24 — on Wednesday ordered the electoral commission to provide the majority of that data.
--With assistance from Borges Nhamire and Unni Krishnan.
(Updates with bonds in fifth pararaph, virtual IMF mission in 6th.)
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