Mozambique’s ruling party, Frelimo, has emerged victorious in the country’s contentious and violence-ridden election, extending its 49-year control over the southern African nation, according to the election commission.
Daniel Chapo, the relatively unknown Frelimo presidential candidate seen as a potential agent of change, is set to replace outgoing President Filipe Nyusi after securing 71% of the vote.
Chapo, 47, will become the first president born after Mozambique gained independence in 1975.
Chapo’s closest rival, opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane, garnered 20% of the vote. However, the election has been overshadowed by accusations of rigging and the killing of opposition supporters, leading to widespread protests.
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has faced his own allegations of election fraud, prematurely congratulated Chapo on his “resounding victory” even before official results were announced.
In the capital, Maputo, a tense atmosphere prevails, with reports of empty streets and closed businesses. Mondlane has called for a national strike on Thursday to protest what he described as a rigged election. He dedicated the protest to the memory of his lawyer and a party official who were shot dead last week, allegedly in politically motivated attacks.
Despite preliminary polls showing Chapo in the lead, Mondlane maintains that he won the election. Protests he organized on Monday were violently dispersed by police using live rounds and tear gas.
EU election observers have also raised concerns, stating that some results may have been manipulated, with “irregularities during counting and unjustified alterations to election results.”
