The spokesman for the Democratic Movement of Mozambique, Ismael Nhacucue, denies that the party's president, Lutero Simango, was involved in negotiations with Frelimo to secure more seats in the Assembly of the Republic.

"It's not true. According to the notices they have in their possession, we have between 15 and 20 mandates, if we were talking about a fair election and not this fraudulent election. Therefore, the MDM is not receiving mandates in favor of anyone," he said in an interview with DW.

Nahacucue was thus reacting to the fact that some party members had raised suspicions that there had been secret negotiations to double the number of seats in parliament, with the announcement of the results by the Constitutional Council.

Speaking to the media last week, MDM members said that "the president goes to meetings of the Presidency of the Republic and when he comes back he doesn't say what the meeting was about. Meanwhile, we see that the number of seats in the Assembly of the Republic has risen to eight. We don't know what the MDM is going to offer FRELIMO to have been able to receive four more deputies," said Elias Impuire, a representative of the protest group.