Mozambique’s Chapo sworn in as president after disputed election

Daniel Chapo of Mozambique's long-ruling Frelimo party was sworn in as president on Wednesday at a sparsely attended ceremony, as the death toll from months of protests against his disputed election victory climbed.

A local civil society monitoring group said at least seven more people were killed in clashes with security forces on Wednesday, raising the cumulative death toll since the October 9 vote above 300.

Chapo told a group of about 1,500 supporters from a stage in the capital Maputo that social and political stability would be his government's top priority.

The opposition says Frelimo won the election through vote-rigging, and Western observers say it was not free and fair. Frelimo denies accusations of electoral fraud.

Cyril Ramaphosa, president of neighboring South Africa, was one of the few heads of state attending Chapo's inauguration.

(VOA/Reuters)