President Filipe Nyusi’s Mozambican Liberation Front (FRELIMO) won a two-thirds majority, increasing its share of seats from 144 to 184 in the 250-member Assembly of the Republic. The Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO), the main opposition party now led by Mr. Ossufo Momade (see note 1), reduced its share from 89 to 60. In the presidential elections held in parallel with the parliamentary polls, President Nyusi defeated Mr. Momade. RENAMO called for the elections to be annulled, citing violence and fraud. On 15 November, the Constitutional Council rejected RENAMO’s challenge, stating that RENAMO had not brought enough evidence to support its claims of irregularities. On 13 January 2020, the newly elected Assembly of the Republic elected Ms. Esperança Bias (FRELIMO) as its new Speaker, replacing Ms. Verónica Nataniel Macamo Dlovo (FRELIMO). On 15 January, President Nyusi began his second term in office.

The 2019 elections were the first to be held after a permanent ceasefire agreement was signed between FRELIMO and RENAMO in August 2019 (see note 2). During election campaigning, FRELIMO promised to further develop the country. President Nyusi pledged to hasten the implementation of the ceasefire agreement. RENAMO promised to bring about “peace, stability, more democracy and development”. Despite the peace deal, violence intensified in the run-up to the polls, killing at least 10 people. 

Note 1:
Mr. Momade succeeded the long-serving RENAMO leader, Mr. Afonso Dhlakama, who passed away in May 2018.

Note 2:
In 1992, FRELIMO and RENAMO signed the Rome General Peace Accords after a 16-year civil war. In 2012, the then RENAMO leader Dhlakama took to the bush again. In 2013, RENAMO said it was ending the 1992 Accords after government forces raided its bush camp. Fresh talks began in 2016.