Maputo, Jan 12 (IANS): The leader of Mozambique's main opposition party Renamo, Afonso Dhlakama, has said he will set up a secessionist "Republic of Central and Northern Mozambique".

The threat is in protest against the results of last October's general election. Dhlakama does not recognise the results which give victory to the ruling Frelimo party's presidential candidate, Filipe Nyusi, with 57 percent of the votes.

During a rally in the central port city of Beira over the weekend, Dhlakama claimed that the election was rigged in favour of Frelimo, an accusation rejected by the Maputo administration, Xinhua news agency reported.

There were literally thousands of Renamo appointees at all levels of the electoral apparatus, from the polling station staff, right up to the National Elections Commission (CNE).

The Renamo leader told the gathering that his party would form the provincial governments in the six provinces and he would become "President of the Republic of Central and Northern Mozambique".

However, Dhlakama claimed at the same time that he did not want to divide the country, or give independence to the central and northern regions.

He said it was a proposal for "political and economic autonomy", and guaranteed that Mozambicans would not need passports to travel between his "Republic" and the rest of the country.

The Renamo leader, who is currently in his home village of Mangude in Chibabava district of Sofala, dismissed claims that his proposal flagrantly violated the Mozambican Constitution.

"In no part of the world are there constitutions that cannot be amended. There are also democracies with autonomous provinces," he said.

The Mozambican constitution does indeed contain provisions for its own amendment. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority in the country's parliament, the Assembly of the Republic.

But observers said Renamo could not possibly have such a majority because it only holds 89 of the 250 seats in the new Assembly. On Monday, Renamo boycotted parliamentary sittings altogether.

The constitution also states that the unitary nature of the Mozambican state must be respected in any constitutional amendment. The only way to override that would be through a nationwide referendum.

Since the publication of the first provisional results of the election, Dhlakama rejected them and said he would negotiate with the government to form a government of national unity, an idea rejected by Frelimo, in power since independence.

Later on, Dhlakama demanded the formation of a "caretaker government" to be run by Renamo and Frelimo. Renamo would appoint its ministers and governors, and Frelimo its own ministers and governors.

Dhlakama wants the provinces where he and his party won to be in his hands, an idea described by the government as "unconstitutional".

Dhlakama refused to give to reporters in Beira any date for proclaiming his new republic.

After Renamo's defeat in the 2008 municipal elections, Dhlakama had promised to set up parallel municipal administrations. However, no such Renamo municipal administration came into existence.