Mozambique to get new president amid swirl of protest

A “national strike” is on the horizon as Mozambique’s president-elect is sworn in on Wednesday, three months after the election.

Daniel Chapo, who is 48 years old, took 65% of the votes Opposition leaders, election officials and the general public said they were well trained.

The result led to protests – some peaceful but some violent – that led to chaos, including killings and vandalism.

Chapo’s main rival is Venâncio Mondlane. Last week, he returned from a self-made world. He lived in South Africa where he is said to have survived an attempt to kill him.

They are now calling on Mozambicans to take to the streets again on the opening day “to fight against people thieves”.

Both opposition parties in Mozambique – Renamo and MDM – have said they are boycotting Wednesday’s swearing-in ceremony because they do not recognize Chapo as the winner.

Even Mozambicans who wish the president-elect well are openly questioning his legitimacy.

“Chapo is someone I admire a lot,” human rights activist Mirna Chitsungo told the BBC.

“I worked with him for four years – I know very well his willingness to take action, his openness to negotiation, and his willingness to follow the ideas of the public sector.

“However, he is taking power for nothing. This is based on a fraudulent electoral process… He is taking power in situations where the people do not approve of him.”

In addition to defeating a hostile population, Chapo must also bring about the economic reforms and eradication of corruption that he promised during the campaign.

“Chapo will face many enemies because it seems that the country of Mozambique is controlled by armed groups, such as cartel of books, cartel of medicines, cartel of sugar, cartel of drugs, cartel of kidnappings, mafia groups,” said Luis Nhanchote, researcher and investigative journalist. .

“They must have a strong team of professionals, ready to join the fight to eliminate groups carefully,” he adds.

But first they need to calm down the people of Mozambique and do everything they can to bring peace to the country.

Daniel Francisco Chapo was born on January 6, 1977 in a place called Inhaminga, in the Sofala region, the sixth of 10 siblings. These were the years of the civil war in Mozambique, and the armed conflict forced his family to move to a nearby area.

His secondary education in the coastal city of Beira was followed by a law degree from the Eduardo Mondlane University and then a master’s degree in development management from the Catholic University of Mozambique.

Now married to Gueta Sulemane Chapo, with whom he has three children, Chapo is said to be a church-going Christian and a basketball and soccer fan.

Many current and former colleagues describe Chapo as humble, hardworking and a calm leader.

Before becoming the presidential candidate of the ruling Frelimo party, he worked as a radio and television presenter, legal expert, university lecturer and provincial governor before rising to the position of secretary general of Frelimo.

Speaking at his birthday celebration recently, Chapo himself acknowledged the challenges that await him as President.

“We need to restore our country economically…it is easy to destroy, but to build is not an easy task.”

Reconciling the country, creating more jobs, changing the electoral law and decentralizing power are at the top of his agenda, he said.

But how can he succeed without the world behind him?

Little by little they have shown a change from outgoing President Felipe Nyusi, who Ms Chitsungo says many Mozambicans will be happy to see back.

“Chapo is a person who likes to negotiate and agree, not to support Nyusi’s dictatorship. He has the ability to negotiate with Mondlane.

“Although Chapo may not be able to fulfill all of Mondlane’s demands, I believe that he will be able to fulfill about 50% of all of them,” adds Mrs. Chitsungo.

Mondlane – a part-time pastor and independent who insists he won the election – is said to be hiding in one of the capital’s hotels. It is unclear what kind of security they have there, and who is paying for it.

He says that last week while visiting the market in Maputo, a vendor near him was shot, it parallels the killing of two of his closest aides in October.

As the leader of the nationwide protests against the controversial election results, many people see him as the voice of the voiceless. However, at the moment, the presidential candidate’s camp is not talking to him publicly.

However, listening to the people’s complaints and demands, and sometimes ignoring the rules of his ruling Frelimo party, is what will help Chapo succeed, experts have told the BBC.

Finding a way to get in touch with Mondlane would no doubt provide a boost, it seems.

A victory for the people would require Chapo to reject “the high and low fuel wages, some of which are ten times higher than the Mozambican minimum wage”, says Nhachote.

Also, if Chapo is to have any chance of ending the political conflict, he will need help from others to make lasting changes, says prominent religious leader Rev Anastacio Chembeze.

“Perhaps we should be skeptical of a single person to solve Mozambique’s problems – change must start within the system itself.

“We need to work on the separation of powers in government, the world powers have a vested interest in this country, and we have big ethical issues in the political system to deal with.”

Once in office, Chapo is being advised to fire the country’s police chief, Bernadino Rafael, experts have told the BBC. He denies any wrongdoing but some consider him to be the mastermind behind the violence that followed the protests.

They said they want to replace him with someone who “respects human rights” and follows international laws and regulations. Another idea that experts have suggested is to bring in a new attorney general.

Chapo will be the first president of Mozambique who did not fight for independence.

“He is part of a new generation. Another part of his history is very different from his predecessors – he was born in a country liberated by them,” says Nhachote.

“If they want to make a real mark on history, they have to challenge the old idols. If they can’t [manage that]I believe he will only run for one term.