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Mozambique's authorities stand guard during the inauguration of the ruling Frelimo party's leader Daniel Chapo in Maputo, Mozambique January 15 2025. Picture: REUTERS
Mozambique's authorities stand guard during the inauguration of the ruling Frelimo party's leader Daniel Chapo in Maputo, Mozambique January 15 2025. Picture: REUTERS

Maputo — Daniel Chapo of Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo party was sworn in as president on Wednesday at a sparsely attended ceremony that was boycotted by the country’s opposition.

The centre of Maputo was largely deserted amid a heavy police and army presence, witnesses said. Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who official results showed came second to Chapo in the presidential election, returned from self-imposed exile last week and called for a national strike.

Official results showed that Chapo won 65% of the vote and Mondlane 24%

The opposition said Frelimo won the election through vote-rigging and Western observers said it was not free and fair. Frelimo denies accusations of electoral fraud.

In his first address as Mozambique’s new leader, Chapo, 48, told supporters that social and political stability would be his government’s priority. He also promised to shrink the size of the government by reducing the number of ministries, tackle youth unemployment and prioritise health and education.

“Mozambique cannot remain a hostage to corruption, nepotism and incompetence,” he said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was one of the few heads of state to attend the inauguration ceremony.

A local civil society monitoring group on Wednesday reported more deaths allegedly at the hands of police. It has said about 300 people have been killed in protests since October 9.

The post-election protests amount to the largest against Frelimo in Mozambique’s history and have affected foreign businesses operating in the resource-rich country of about 35-million people. They have also disrupted cross-border trade to SA and forced some people to flee to neighbouring countries.

Frelimo has ruled Mozambique since the end of the war against Portuguese colonial rule in 1975, clinging on throughout a 15-year civil war that killed a million people before a 1992 truce.

Reuters

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