Maputo — The parliamentary group of Mozambique's main opposition party, Renamo, on Wednesday disrupted the annual State of the Nation Address delivered by President Filipe Nyusi.

The disruption was the latest stage in the Renamo campaign to reverse the fraudulent results from the 11 October municipal elections.

The Renamo deputies all wore black T-shirts carrying such slogans as "down with the thieves of votes', and "The people will recover their victory'.

As Nyusi began to speak, the Renamo deputies started to chant "We want electoral justice', and "We want our votes'. Some used whistles to add to the din.

After a few minutes, the parliamentary chairperson, Esperanca Bias, tried to call the session to order. She urged the Renamo deputies to show some decorum. They paid no attention.

Bias then spoke quietly with Nyusi, apparently urging him to abandon his speech.

But he kept going. For Nyusi was in control of the microphone. This meant that, although the Renamo racket made it impossible to listen to the President inside the parliamentary chamber, outside anyone watching the speech on television or listening on radio could hear every word.

"I shall continue to speak, because the public is hearing me very well', he said.

The Renamo deputies kept up their chanting for the entire two hours or so of Nyusi's address. But if they hoped to shut him up, they failed.

Bias had the power to call on the police to remove the Renamo protestors from the chamber, but she declined to use it.

At the end of his speech, Nyusi announced that state employees will be paid the New Year bonus, known as "the 13th month'.

Traditionally, this bonus is the payment of an extra month of the basic wage. But this year, the bonus will only be 30 per cent of the basic wage, which is bound to disappoint workers of the public administration.

Nyusi gave an upbeat view of the future, claiming that Mozambique "has created solid bases for growing in the coming years as a competitive, sustainable and inclusive country'.