Ruling party Frelimo’s candidate Daniel Chapo will be Mozambique’s next president after winning 71% of the recently concluded elections.
Chapo, 47, will be the country’s first leader born after independence in 1975.He will replace Filipe Nyusi, who is constitutionally barred from running again after serving two terms.His closest challenger, Venâncio Mondlane of Podemos, won 20.32% while Renamo’s candidate Ossufo Momade came third with 5.81% of the vote.
Chapo’s elections highlights Mozambique’s shifting political dynamics, with Renamo, which was previously the main opposition party, facing its worst results against the long term ruling party.
Frelimo cemented its grasp on the country’s political scene with major victories in parliament, and significant victories in the major constituencies, including the diaspora vote.
The results, announced by the elections body, will be confirmed by the Constitutional Council, which will also consider any appeals. The elections have been marred with allegations of harassment and killings of opposition candidates. Opposition parties have also accused Frelimo of fraud and electoral irregularities, which are likely to be a core part of any appeals.
Chapo’s Herculean Tasks
Chapo, 47, joined politics in 2009 and has served as an administrator in two districts, before being appointed (2016), then elected (2019), governor of Inhambane Province in southern Mozambique. He resigned from the position in May to focus on the presidential race.
The lawyer and former administrator is widely seen as a business friendly, in addition to offering political stability as the ruling party’s candidate. He will have to tackle the myriad of issues plaguing the Southern African countries, including a heavy debt burden, an Islamist insurgency in the north, and major pending investment deals.
The switch of the main opposition from RENAMO to Podemos will present a major political challenge for Chapo. RENAMO, which has historically been the main opposition party, has slowly lost public appeal, even being dubbed “FRENAMO” for no longer providing a viable counterweight.
Podemos was founded by former, disgruntled FRELIMO members, and its elevation presents a unique challenge for Chapo’s first term, and the ruling party’s future. The new president will also have to complete the economic recovery that stemmed from a US $2bn corruption ‘hidden debt‘ scandal. Known as “tuna bond” scandal, the fallout has seen a former finance minister of Mozambique, Manuel Chang, convicted of bribery in the US.