Renamo loses poll appeal

The official opposition Renamo has lost its bid to annul last month's election results after Mozambique’s top court on Friday threw out its challenge. The former rebel group lodged an application after it lost the 15 October election to Frelimo. A report on the News24 site notes that it accused the government of ‘massive electoral fraud’ and of using violence and intimidation on voting day in a breach of a peace deal between the two parties who once fought a civil war. However, the Constitutional Court rejected the application on the grounds that the party ‘did not submit enough evidence to sustain its complaint’. The report notes that the EU last week cast doubt on the credibility of the victory, saying its observers detected a litany of ‘irregularities and malpractices’ and called on authorities to clarify them.