Mozambique inaugurates President Daniel Chapo amid swirl of protest

MAPUTO, Mozambique

Mozambique's new president Daniel Chapo took the oath of office Wednesday in front of a heavily guarded audience of dignitaries in the capital Maputo following weeks of violent demonstrations over the fiercely disputed election result.  

Chapo, 48, extends his Frelimo party's 50-year rule of the gas-rich African nation amid claims by opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane that the vote was rigged, which sparked unrest that an NGO says has left more than 300 dead.

Taking the oath, Chapo vowed "to devote all my energies to defending, promoting and consolidating national unity, human rights, democracy and the well-being of the Mozambican people".

But on the eve of the inauguration, Mondlane threatened to "paralyse" the new government with daily demonstrations following his earlier calls for a national strike in the days leading up to the ceremony.

Mondlane, 50, who is popular with the youth, maintains the October 9 polls were rigged in favour of the Frelimo party, which has governed Mozambique since independence from Portugal in 1975.

"This regime does not want peace," Mondlane said in an address on Facebook Tuesday, adding that his communications team was met with bullets on the streets this week.

"We'll protest every single day. If it means paralysing the country for the entire term, we will paralyse it for the entire term."

Chapo called for stability on Monday, telling journalists at the national assembly "we can continue to work and together, united... to develop our country".

International observers have said the election was marred by irregularities, while the EU mission condemned what it called the "unjustified alteration of election results".

Neighbouring South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the inauguration, while former colonial ruler Portugal sent Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel.

Ahead of the ceremony, Maputo-based political and security risk analyst Johann Smith told AFP that an absence of a large number of foreign heads of state "sends a strong message".

"Even from a regional point of view, there is a hesitancy to acknowledge or recognise that Chapo won the election," Smith said. 

Security forces blocked roads throughout Maputo and around Independence Square, where the swearing-in was held. 

The extent of the unrest from now on "depends on how Chapo will tackle the crisis", analyst Borges Nhamirre told AFP. 

The inauguration of parliamentary lawmakers Monday was held amid relative calm. 

The streets were deserted Monday, with most shops closed either in protest against the ceremony or out of fear of violence, while military police surrounded the parliament building and police blocked main roads. 

Still, at least six people were killed in the Inhambane and Zambezia regions north of the capital, according to local civil society group Plataforma Decide.

Unrest since the election has claimed more than 300 lives, according to the group's tally, with security forces accused of using excessive force against demonstrators. Police officers have also died, according to the authorities. 

Chapo, who is expected to announce his new government this week, could make concessions by appointing opposition members to ministerial posts to quell the unrest, said Eric Morier-Genoud, an African history professor at Queen's University Belfast. 

There have also been calls for dialogue but Mondlane has been excluded from talks that Chapo and outgoing president Filipe Nyusi opened with the leaders of the main political parties. 

Chapo has repeatedly said however that he would include Mondlane in talks.

Mondlane, who returned to Mozambique last week after going into hiding abroad following the October 19 assassination of his lawyer, has said he was ready for talks. 

"I'm here in the flesh to say that if you want to negotiate... I'm here," he said.

According to official results, Chapo won 65 percent of the presidential vote, compared to 24 percent for Mondlane.

But the opposition leader claims that he won 53 percent and that Mozambique's election institutions manipulated the results.

Frelimo parliamentarians also dominate the 250-seat national assembly with 171 seats compared to the Podemos party's 43.