Daniel Chapo was inaugurated as president of Mozambique on Wednesday after months of violence following the elections, with reports say has resulted in over 300 deaths.
Chapo, 48, promised “to dedicate all my efforts to defending, promoting, and strengthening national unity,” continuing the Frelimo party’s 50-year governance of the resource-rich African country.
Opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane alleges that the election held in October was fraudulent.
The capital city, Maputo, appeared eerily quiet, with many shops shuttered either in protest or due to fears of violence as Chapo commenced his five-year term.
Since the electoral commission announced Chapo as the election winner on October 21, the country has been engulfed in protests.
Lucia Ribeiro, the head of the Constitutional Council, administered the oath to Chapo, who previously served as the governor of Inhambane Province. On December 23, the council confirmed the presidential election results.
Chapo, a 48-year-old former lawyer and broadcaster, has never held a governmental role prior to his election.
Both the Mozambique National Resistance Movement and the Mozambique Democratic Movement, the main opposition parties, chose to boycott the inauguration ceremony.
According to the council, Chapo won the election with 65% of the votes, while his closest competitor, Venancio Mondlane, garnered only 20%.
Earlier on Monday, the new parliament, consisting of 250 lawmakers, was inaugurated amidst protests that resulted in the deaths of at least six individuals, reportedly at the hands of police.
