At the invitation of President Filipe Nyusi, all the main parties sent their top leaders to a meeting held at the presidential offices in Maputo, at which the President-Elect, and General Secretary of the ruling Frelimo Party, Daniel Chapo, was also present.

   The opposition leaders present were Albano Forquilha, of Podemos, which is now the largest opposition party in parliament, Lutero Simango, of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), Ossufo Momade (Renamo), and Salomao Muchanga (ND – New Democracy).

   Chosen as spokesperson for the meeting, Simango stressed that, despite their willingness to talk, the opposition parties would never accept the results declared by the Constitutional Council.

   This is hardly surprising, since the Council openly admitted that fraud had taken place during the general elections held on 9 October. After some juggling with the figures, which brought the size of Chapo’s majority down from 70 to 65 per cent, the Council claimed that the “irregularities” did not substantially affect the result. But the Council also admitted that it had adjusted the results in order to avoid the need for a recount of the votes.

   The opposition parties, Simango said, remain “open to an internal dialogue”. Contacts between the parties would continue in the coming days, and each of the parties, he added, agrees that far-reaching reforms are needed, particularly in terms of governance.

   Simango insisted that the dialogue must be “frank, honest and inclusive, and must take account of the need to respect the votes cast by Mozambicans at the ballot box on 9 October”. The objective of the dialogue, he stressed, was “to establish a new social pact to change Mozambique”.“We shall do everything for the welfare of Mozambicans”.

   In the coming days, formal and informal dialogue sessions will continue. Priority areas for dialogue will be mapped out next week. This almost certainly means that the talks will continue after Nyusi leaves office on 15 January and Chapo is sworn into office as the new head of state.

   Nyusi declared that Mozambicans themselves must seek solution to their problems – but he was open to some form of assistance from international partners.

   The obvious problem with the meeting is that nobody was present who could claim to represent exiled presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane. It is Mondlane who has decreed the strikes and demonstrations, which have degenerated into riots dealing crushing blows against the fragile Mozambican economy.

   Although Podemos supported Mondlane’s bid for the presidency, Mondlane is not a member of this party, and there is no indication that Forquilha can speak for him.

   Mondlane has postponed the next phase of unrest, which he calls his “spearhead”. In another of his regular live broadcasts, transmitted from an undisclosed location via his Facebook page, on Monday night Mondlane said this uneasy truce will continue until 2 January.