Maputo — Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo party picked Daniel Francisco Chapo, the 47-year-old governor of a southern province, to be its candidate for October’s presidential election, after heated internal debates that lasted three days. 

Sunday’s selection of Chapo halted speculation that President Filipe Nyusi planned to cling to power at the conclusion of his term through an amendment to the constitution. 

Nyusi said the endorsement puts an end to a soap opera of rumors, including talk of a possible third term. Frelimo respects the laws, he added, so there was no reason to speculate about new term limits.

Nyusi also encouraged party members to support Chapo in the upcoming elections.

Since Mozambique’s independence in 1975, all heads of state have been nominated by Frelimo.  

The party has won all elections since multi-party democracy was introduced 30 years ago at the end of a crippling 16-year civil war which left over one million people dead and five million others internally displaced.  

Chapo has been governor of Inhambane province since 2016. He holds a master’s degree in development management from a university in Mozambique. Prior to entering politics, he taught constitutional law and political science at the Universidade Catolica in the port city of Beira, and worked as an announcer at a private radio station in the same city.  

After being confirmed as Frelimo’s candidate, Chapo promised to work to promote the country’s economic development.  

If elected, Chapo will become Mozambique’s fourth democratically elected head of state.  

Chapo is viewed by analysts as a leader who may be able to restore security in the troubled oil- and gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado, where Islamic State-linked insurgents have been terrorizing civilians and destroying public infrastructure since 2017, forcing the interruption of multibillion-dollar projects. 

The violence has continued despite support by troops from other countries of the Southern African Development Community, and soldiers from Rwanda. 

Economic analyst and university lecturer Alcidio Bachita has high hopes for Chapo. 

“He is an individual who has not been accused of any corruption schemes,” Bachita said. “And I believe that this change of leadership will open a new page in the history of Mozambique, given that he is a young man and was born after [the] independence period of the country. So I believe that the economy of Mozambique will witness a great performance in the coming years.”  

Mozambique will hold its seventh presidential and legislative elections on October 9.

The deadline for presenting lists of candidates for president to the Constitutional Council is June 10.  
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