Daniel Chapo from Mozambique long-ruling Frelimo party was sworn in as president Wednesday in a sparsely attended ceremony after months of protests against his disputed election victory.
A local civil society watchdog group says more than 300 people have been killed in clashes with security forces since the October 9 vote, which the opposition claims Frelimo won by rigging the votes and Western observers say were not free and fair.
THE DEAD NUMBER IN THE FERRY DISASTER IN MOZAMBIQUE RAISES TO 98
Frelimo denies allegations of electoral fraud.
Government of Mozambique since the end of the war against Portuguese colonial rule in 1975, holding out during a 15-year civil war that killed a million people before a truce in 1992.
Chapo told a group of about 1,500 supporters from a stage in the capital Maputo that social and political stability would be his government’s top priority.
Daniel Chapo of Mozambique’s long-time ruling Frelimo party was sworn in as president on Wednesday (January 15th) in a sparsely attended ceremony after months of protests against his disputed election victory. (Reuters)
He also promised to reduce the size of government by cutting the number of ministries, tackle youth unemployment and prioritize health and education.
The city center was largely deserted with a heavy police and military presence, Reuters witnesses said.
Cyril Ramaphosa, President neighboring South Africahe was one of the few heads of state to attend Chapo’s inauguration.
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Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who official results say came second behind Chapo in the presidential election, returned from self-imposed exile last week and urged his supporters to continue the protests.
The post-election protests are the largest against Freli in Mozambique’s history and have affected foreign businesses operating in the resource-rich southern African country of 35 million people. They also disrupted cross-border trade and forced some to flee to neighboring countries.
