MAPUTO - Mozambique's capital Maputo on Friday suffered a mobile internet blackout after protests against the re-election of the ruling Frelimo party descended into violence.
Protests erupted on Thursday with hundreds of opposition supporters rejecting what they called a ballot "stolen" by a "corrupt" electoral commission in favour of the party which has ruled since 1975.
The commission had on Thursday announced Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo as the winner of the October 9 election with 71 percent of the vote, sparking a furious reaction from the opposition.
Further sporadic demonstrations sprang up on Friday in the capital, where streets were littered with broken glass, burnt tyres and other debris.
Internet outages across various mobile carriers struck Maputo, although home access was not affected, according to AFP reporters
"We can confirm a near-total disruption to mobile internet connectivity in Mozambique" starting around noon local time (1000 GMT) that was "likely to limit coverage of events on the ground", internet outage monitor Netblocks told AFP.
Chapo, a 47-year-old former provincial governor with no experience in national government, was little known before his surprise nomination as Frelimo's candidate. He will take over from President Filipe Nyusi in January.
Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane -- who has declared himself the winner, claimed irregularities and urged demonstrations -- officially won just over 20 percent.
"We absolutely reject these results," said Mondlane, during a Facebook live broadcast Thursday evening.
"They do not reflect the will of the people," he added, calling the political situation in the southern African country "rotten, doctored and fake".
European Union election observers on Friday condemned "the violent dispersal of demonstrators and the political violence", urging "all parties to refrain from violence".
They warned in a statement that Thursday's announcement of the results "has not dispelled" concerns over the vote count and urged "maximum transparency" from electoral authorities.