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Despite the confirmation of the results by the election commission, the Constitutional Council will have the final say after it considers any appeals.
Mozambique’s President-elect struck a conciliatory tone as he spoke shortly after the results of disputed polls were announced. Daniel Chapo dominated 3 opponents to secure 70.67% of the vote. The ruling party Frelimo will also enjoy an absolute majority in Parliament after winning the concurrent polls.
The electoral cycle has been marred by violence notably against officials of the Podemos coalition. Dias, a lawyer and advisor to opposition presidential candidate Mondlane, was killed when gunmen riddled his car with bullets in the port capital of Maputoon on October 18. Guambe, the party spokesperson, was also in the car and was killed.
The president-elect criticized the strikes called by the opposition to protest what it claimed was systematic deceit. Police quelled the demonstrations this week, dispersing them by firing teargas.
Lutero Simango of the opposition Mozambique Democratic Movement, who got just over 3% of the vote, on Thursday disputed the election outcome and said his party would challenge the results in court. Despite the confirmation of the results by the election commission, the Constitutional Council will have the final say after it considers any appeals.
Chapo will face immediate challenges including a terror group affiliated to the Islamic State group that has launched attacks on communities in the hydrocarbon-rich province of Cabo Delgado since 2017. It has carried out several beheadings.
Around 600,000 of the 1.3 million people who fled the province since 2017 have since returned home, many to shattered communities where houses, markets, churches, schools, and health facilities have been destroyed, the United Nations said earlier this year.
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Mozambique also faces high levels of unemployment and hunger, exacerbated by El Nino-induced severe drought. According to the U.N. World Food Program, 1.3 million people face severe food shortages.
