Ceremony took place in the center of Maputo under strong security measures
The president of the Constitutional Council on Wednesday invested Daniel Chapo as the fifth president of the Republic of Mozambique, in a ceremony being held in the center of Maputo under strong security measures.
Chapo read the instrument of inauguration and took the oath at 11:12 am local time (two hours less in Lisbon), to the applause of his guests.
As foreseen in the ceremony’s program, the president of the Constitutional Council, Lúcia Ribeiro, received the symbols of power from the outgoing President, Filipe Nyusi, and a few minutes later, he inaugurated Daniel Chapo as the new President of the Republic of Mozambique.
The ceremony is being held at Praça da Independência, in the center of Maputo, under strong security measures outside and at access to the venue, given the announcement of demonstrations and protests, called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who does not recognize the results of the elections on October 9th, which has already caused 300 deaths and more than 600 gunshot wounds, according to organizations on the ground.
According to the official program of today’s ceremony, after the inauguration, there will be official speeches, cultural moments, 21 cannon salutes and the review of the Honor Guard of the Armed Defense Forces of Mozambique by the new commander-in-chief, Daniel Chapo, as well as a military parade.
Current secretary general of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), Daniel Chapo was governor of the province of Inhambane when, in May 2024, he was chosen by the Central Committee to be the ruling party’s candidate to succeed Filipe Nyusi, who served two terms as President of the Republic.
On December 23, Daniel Chapo, 48 years old, was proclaimed by the Constitutional Council as the winner of the election for President of the Republic, with 65.17% of the votes, in the general elections on October 9, which included legislative and provincial assemblies, which Frelimo also won.
Graduated in Law from the Faculty of Law of Eduardo Mondlane University, in Maputo, in 2000, Daniel Francisco Chapo was born in Inhaminga, Sofala province, central Mozambique, on January 6, 1977, making him the first President of the Republic born ever after the country’s independence (1975).
In an exclusive interview with Lusa on October 4, Daniel Chapo stated that he had never considered running for President, but that he received this “mission” to “serve the people”.
“No, because in Frelimo you receive missions. I never imagined that I would be a district administrator, but later as a member of Frelimo, I was called to this mission, to lead the district of Nacala-Velha, in Nampula. Then I also received the mission of directing the district of Palma in Cabo Delgado, when the gas projects began and later also governor of Inhambane”, he explained.
The presidents of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, and Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, are the only heads of state present at today’s ceremony, with 2,500 guests.
In addition to two statesmen, three vice-presidents are present, namely from Tanzania, Malawi and Kenya, in addition to the prime ministers of Eswatini and Rwanda and eight ministers, including the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of Portugal, Paulo Rangel.
Daniel Chapo’s election has been contested in the streets since October, with pro-Mondlane protesters – a candidate who according to the Constitutional Council obtained just 24% of the votes but who claimed victory – in protests demanding the “restitution of electoral truth, with barricades, looting and clashes with the police, who have been firing shots in an attempt to demobilize.
