President Filipe Nyusi will step down in the event that the government Frelimo party wins this year’s elections, as announced late on Sunday by regional governor Daniel Chapo.
The surprise election of Chapo by Frelimo’s central committee came after two days of heated debate, a large number of spoiled ballots, and the withdrawal of his closest opponent. Chapo defeated three other internal candidates.
“Frelimo took an important step to prepare for victory in the October elections with the election of its candidate for president,” Nyusi stated on Sunday night following an extraordinary party congress held close to the capital Maputo.
Since the end of the battle for independence from Portugal in 1975, Frelimo has dominated local government and won every national election since then.
When Mozambicans cast their votes on October 9 to elect their president, parliament, and provincial authorities, Nyusi, 65, is not permitted under the constitution to run for a third term.
Nyusi asked Frelimo to “give Daniel Chapo all our support” following an internal election in which Chapo’s main opponent, Roque Silva, abruptly withdrew from the contest and resigned as secretary general of the organization.
“We must focus on preparing the process for him,” Nyusi stated.
Since 2016, Chapo, a former radio host and political science instructor, has served as governor of Inhambane, a province in central Africa.
He is the first candidate for president from Frelimo to be born after the former Portuguese colony in southern Africa attained independence, at the age of 47.
Contested Election Outcomes
After the voting on Sunday, he made a promise to run as a unity candidate and spoke with media.
“We will work… with all layers of society — young people, women, men and war veterans,” he stated.
Renamo, a former rebel group, was the strongest opposition party and contested Frelimo’s resounding victory in the most recent general election in 2019.
From 1977 until 1992, Renamo and Frelimo engaged in a civil conflict that killed almost a million people and severely damaged the Mozambican economy.
At least two individuals lost their lives in rallies in October over the outcome of municipal elections, during which protesters in numerous places were shot by police.
After Frelimo was proclaimed the winner in 64 out of 65 local authorities, Renamo ordered the protests.
Based on a UNDP compilation of 191 countries, Mozambique is ranked sixth from the bottom in terms of human development.
When massive natural gas resources were discovered in the northern province of Cabo Delgado in 2010, it held great expectations for them, being the largest found south of the Sahara.
However, advancement has been halted by an insurgency in the area led by militants affiliated with the Islamic State organization.
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