Mozambique opposition files for vote recount

MAPUTO - Mozambique's leading opposition party Podemos filed a lawsuit demanding a recount of the country's election results, which led to protests and violence after the ruling party was named the winner.

The suit, filed on Sunday, called on the country's Constitutional Court to give "a true judgement on who won the elections", according to the text of the document seen by AFP.

It demanded the court "repeat the overall counting" of votes, citing numerous alleged irregularities in the October 9 election.

Podemos representative Dinis Tivane told reporters the party had also delivered to the country's Electoral Commission numerous boxes of documents which the party said were evidence that it won the vote.

The commission on Thursday announced the ruling Frelimo party's candidate Daniel Chapo as the winner with 71 percent of the vote and 195 out of 250 seats in parliament.

Podemos has published its own count, stating that its candidate Venancio Mondlane won with 53.3 percent and 138 seats.

Podemos in its court appeal demanded that polling stations hand over full details of how they tallied the voting numbers that they submitted to the commission.

It also demanded the court "determine exactly how many people voted" across the country in each of the elections -- presidential, legislative and provincial -- after foreign observers signalled irregularities.

EU officials have said they noted "irregularities during counting and unjustified alteration of election results at polling station and district level".

Protests by hundreds of opposition supporters erupted on Thursday, leading to clashes with riot police.

Frelimo has ruled since independence in 1975.