Maputo, Mozambique—— Hundreds of Mozambican opposition supporters protested on Wednesday as Mozambique took office as a new president after a disputed election and deadly riots.

Daniel Chapo braved the sweltering heat to be sworn in as the country's fifth president in front of about 2,500 people in front of the city hall in the capital, Maputo. Security forces wielding guns and batons prevented opposition supporters from entering the venue, where they protested peacefully just meters away. Security forces blocked several roads and maintained a heavy presence in other areas of Maputo.

"We heard you before and during the protests, and we will continue to listen," Chapo said in a speech.

The 48-year-old law graduate acknowledged the need to end instability in the southern African country.

"Social harmony cannot wait, nor can consensus on the issues that worry the Mozambican people, so the dialogue has begun and we will not rest until we have a united and cohesive country," he said.

South African President Ramaphosa and Guinea-Bissau leader Umaro Sissoko Embalo attended the ceremony, while several other countries, including former colonial power Portugal, also sent representatives.

The country's Constitutional Council declared El Chapo the winner of the presidential election in December with 65.17 percent of the vote, rejecting a challenge from opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane, who was said to have received 24 percent of the vote.

A series of post-election protests and a violent crackdown by security forces have killed at least 300 people, including dozens of children, according to local and international rights groups.

Mundelein is a 50-year-old pastor who has been spearheading protests through messages on platforms such as Facebook to demand "the restoration of truth about the election." Some Western countries, including the United States, have also questioned the credibility of the election.

He returned from self-imposed exile on January 9 and received a warm welcome from his supporters. Mondlane said he feared for his life as he left Mozambique after two senior members of his opposition party were killed in a car by unidentified gunmen in late-night shootings in Maputo after the election. One of the men killed was Mondelein's lawyer and adviser.

On Monday, Mundelein called for a new round of protests against the inauguration of members of parliament and the inauguration of El Chapo.

El Chapo's Frelimo party has ruled the country of about 34 million people since it gained independence from Portugal in 1975. He became the country's first president born after independence.

On Wednesday, he described "social and political stability" as a "top priority."

In addition to protests sparked by a disputed election, El Chapo has also had to contend with a seven-year jihadist insurgency in the oil- and gas-rich northern province of Cabo Delgado.

Additionally, he inherited a country plagued by corruption and serious economic challenges, including high unemployment and frequent strikes by civil servants such as nurses and doctors. According to the World Bank, Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world.

"Mozambique cannot continue to be held hostage by corruption, laziness, nepotism, nepotism, sycophancy, incompetence and injustice. That is why we say let us get to work," El Chapo said in his acceptance speech on Wednesday. He said it was "distressing" that "many of our compatriots still go to bed without at least one decent meal."

He promised to create a lean government by cutting some ministries and senior government positions. He said this would save more than $260 million and pledged to use the funds to improve people's lives.

Some, like Maputo economic analyst Evaristo Cumbane, remain sceptical.

"We are listening to the same song. The country is divided and we need to reconcile all Mozambicans first before we do anything else," Campane said.