Mozambique is set to vote for a new president on Wednesday in an election that could extend the ruling party’s 49-year grip on power since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
Daniel Chapo, 47, is the candidate for the ruling party, the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), aiming to succeed President Filipe Nyusi, who has reached the maximum limit of two terms in office.
Analysts suggest Chapo’s main competition will come from 50-year-old independent candidate Venancio Mondlane, who poses the strongest challenge to Frelimo’s long-standing dominance.
Voters will also choose members of Parliament and provincial governors in this election. Mozambique, a country of about 33 million people, experienced a 15-year civil war that ended in 1992 and is currently facing a violent jihadist insurgency in the northern region.
Both leading candidates have pledged to end the insurgency and bring stability to Cabo Delgado province, where 1.3 million people have fled their homes, with more than half still displaced. Voters are also focused on issues such as poverty, youth unemployment, and government corruption.