Mozambique will get a new president amid a storm of protests

Under the threat of a “national strike”, Mozambique’s president-elect is to be sworn in on Wednesday, more than three months after a disputed election.

Daniel Chapo, who is 48 years old, won 65% of the votes in the poll Opposition leaders, election observers and the general public said it was rigged.

The result sparked a wave of demonstrations – some peaceful but others violent – that led to chaos, including killings and vandalism.

Chapo’s biggest rival is Venancio Mondlon. He returned from self-imposed exile last week. He spent time in South Africa, where he said he survived the assassination attempt.

Now he is calling on Mozambicans to take to the streets again on inauguration day “against the thieves of the people”.

Both of Mozambique’s main opposition parties – Renamo and MDM – say they are boycotting Wednesday’s swearing-in ceremony because they, too, do not recognize Chapo as the rightful winner.

Even those in Mozambique who wish the president-elect well are openly questioning his legitimacy.

“Chapo is a person I admire very much,” civil society activist Myrna Chitsunga told the BBC.

“I worked with him for four years – I am familiar with his readiness to act, openness to dialogue, readiness to implement the recommendations of civil society on the ground.

“However, he assumes illegitimate power. It stems from a rigged election process… He takes power in a context where the people don’t accept him.”

In addition to winning over a hostile public, Chapo will also have to deliver an economic turnaround and end corruption, which he promised during the election campaign.

“Chapa will face many enemies because Mozambique seems to be run by cartels, including book cartels, drug cartels, sugar cartels, drug cartels, kidnapping cartels, mafia groups,” says analyst and investigative journalist Luis Nhanchote.

“He needs a strong team of experts ready to join him in this crusade to thoroughly dismantle the groups,” he adds.

“But first he must reassure Mozambicans and do everything in his power to restore peace to the country.”

Daniel Francisco Chapo was born on January 6, 1977 in the town of Inhamingo, Sofalo province, he was the sixth of 10 siblings. These were the years of the civil war in Mozambique, and the armed conflict forced his family to move to another neighboring area.

His high school studies in the coastal city of Beira were followed by law studies at the Eduardo Mondlan University, followed by a master’s degree in development management at the Catholic University of Mozambique.

Currently married to Geta Suleman Chapa, with whom he has three children, Chapa is also considered a churchgoer and basketball and soccer lover.

Many current and former colleagues describe Chapo as a humble, hardworking and patient leader.

Before becoming the presidential candidate of the ruling Frelim party, he was a radio and television presenter, a legal notary, a university lecturer and a provincial governor before rising to the position of secretary general of Frelim.

Speaking at his recent birthday celebration, Chapo himself acknowledged that a daunting task awaits him as president.

“We must rebuild our country economically… it is easy to destroy it, but it is not easy to build it.”

National reconciliation, creating more jobs, reforming the electoral law and decentralizing power are high on his agenda, he said.

But how successful can it be without a country behind it?

At the very least, it will mark a change from outgoing President Felipe Nyusi, whom Ms Chitsunga says many Mozambicans will be happy to see back.

“Chapo is a figure of dialogue and consensus, not someone who supports Nyusi’s violent style of governance. He has the potential to negotiate with Mundlein.

“While Chapo may not fully meet all of Mondlan’s requirements, I believe he can meet at least 50% of them,” adds Ms Chitsunga.

Mundlein – a pastor and independent candidate who insists he was the real winner of the election – is reportedly staying at a hotel in the capital. It is not known what kind of security he has there, and who pays for it.

He claims that while visiting a market in Maputo last week, a vendor near him was shot dead. echoing the killing of two of his close aides in October.

As the mastermind behind the nationwide protests against the disputed election results, he has come to be seen by many as the voice of the voiceless. However, now in the camp of the president-elect, they do not deal with him publicly.

Still, listening to the public’s grievances and demands, and sometimes ignoring the orders of his ruling Frelim party, will be key to Chapo’s success, analysts told the BBC.

Finding some way to constructively engage with Mondlane seems sure to provide momentum.

Winning over the public may also require Chapo to give up “huge elite salaries and fringe benefits, some of which are 10 times the minimum wage in Mozambique,” Mr Nhachote argued.

In addition, if Chapo is to have any chance of ending the wider political crisis, he will need the support of others to make lasting structural changes, according to prominent clerical priest Anastasio Chembeze.

“Perhaps we should be skeptical that one man can solve Mozambique’s problems – change must start in the system itself.

“We must strive for separation of powers in the state apparatus, international monopolies have huge interests in the country, and we have serious ethical problems in the political elites to solve them.”

Once in Chapo’s office, it was advised to fire the head of the country’s police, Bernadino Rafael, analysts told the BBC. He denies any wrongdoing, but some see him as the initiator of the violent response to the post-election protests.

They say they want him replaced with a successor who “respects human rights” and adheres to legal and international standards. Another suggestion from analysts is to bring in a new attorney general.

It should be noted that Chapo will be the first president of Mozambique who did not participate in the war for independence.

“He is part of a new generation. Part of his background is completely different from his predecessors – he was born in a country that was liberated by them,” says Mr Nhachote.

“If he wants to leave a significant mark on history, he must challenge these icons of the past. If he can’t (handle it), I’m sure he’ll only run for one term.”