Chapo is the first president who did not fight for Frelimo independence or the accompanying 16-year civil war, which killed a million people.
Daniel Chapo, Mozambique’s newly appointed leader, confronts his first major challenge as president on Wednesday: putting an end to fatal protests over his victory, which his opponents claim was rigged.
Chapo was a little-known provincial governor with no national experience before his Frelimo party nominated him as its candidate in the October elections.
He is 48 years old, making him the first president to be younger than his country.
Although opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane maintains that the vote was manipulated, he officially received 65% of the vote.
Since the Portuguese colonists left in 1975, Frelimo, a Marxist party, has been in power. It has withstood a financial crisis that destroyed the economy, several allegations of electoral fraud, and one of the bloodiest civil conflicts in history.
The young people Chapo now faces are incensed that they continue to be among the world’s poorest, while the elites of his party have amassed incredible fortune.
Africa’s largest foreign investment in offshore gas resources was made in Mozambique in 2020. Ordinary Mozambicans are now poorer rather than less.
Unrest that broke out following the October election was fueled in part by that resentment. According to a local NGO, security forces have killed over 300 individuals, including numerous opposition protesters.
In response to the turmoil, Chapo pledged in his inaugural speech on Wednesday to bring the nation together through political discourse and the creation of a police watchdog.
“Until we have a united and cohesive nation on the path to constructing well-being for all of us,” he declared, “we will not rest.”
“Our first priority is social and political stability.”
Managing crises
Chapo, who was tall and slender, took over as president after Filipe Nyusi had served his two-term maximum.
Chapo is the first president who did not fight for Frelimo independence or the accompanying 16-year civil war, which killed a million people.
He does, however, have expertise in local administration in Palma, which is home to a natural gas discovery and has seen deadly attacks since 2017 by militants claiming ties to the Islamic State group.
Chapo has stated time and again that he is prepared to speak with “everyone,” despite Mondlane’s threats to “paralyze” the nation with daily protests.
Flying to the north of the country, where Cyclone Dikeledi struck this week and Cyclone Chido killed 120 people last month, he is already juggling several emergencies.
According to observers, Chapo was probably the choice of former Mozambican presidents Armando Guebuza and Joaquim Chissano and less so of his predecessor Nyusi. He was a new face intended to win over disillusioned young.
Johann Smith, a political and security risk analyst based in Maputo, told AFP that there isn’t much affection between Chapo and Nyusi.
Combating terrorism
Chapo, a balding former instructor in political science, with a law degree and has experience as a radio host.
One of his campaign pledges was to stop attacks in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
nearly 5,800 people have been killed and nearly a million have been displaced by the fighting. The future of the gas fields is in jeopardy since French behemoth TotalEnergies has frozen one of its projects.
At the last gathering, Chapo declared, “We will keep working to ensure Mozambique remains a country of peace, including in Cabo Delgado.” “We intend to keep up the fight against terrorism.”
When Chapo was elected governor of the southern province of Inhambane in 2016, he also pledged to build hospitals and schools and boost the economy.
With his pledge to “work with every layer of society, youth, women, men, and veterans,” he positioned himself as the candidate for unification.
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