Young Blood Takes Reigns of Mozambique’s Revolutionary Party

By Prince Kurupati

Just recently, Africa welcomed its youngest democratically elected president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal. Faye's elevation to the presidency was widely welcomed, not just because of the new president's age (44) but because his ascendency stopped an otherwise unwanted trend of coups in West and Central Africa. Well, something similar is cooking down south as Mozambique picked a 'young' man of 47 years to lead the ruling party, Mozambique Liberation Party (Frelimo). 

Daniel Chapo, Frelimo's new supremo is a law graduate, former political science lecturer and radio announcer. Despite his 'tender' age, Chapo has already amassed a wealth of experience in politics having served as provincial governor of Inhambane since 2016. Despite this, his elevation to the top post of Frelimo came as a surprise to many largely because of his age - in revolutionary parties, especially, in southern Africa, ageism prevails as the older generation prefers to take control citing their war credentials.

The news of Daniel Chapo's elevation to the leadership of Mozambique's revolutionary party was announced by outgoing president Filipe Nyusi. As he announced the news, President Nyusi also dismissed speculation that he wanted to run for a third term. “The soap opera of speculation ends, including speculation about a third term," President Nyusi said. Thanks to the announcement, it became crystal clear that the southern African nation is following a democratic pathway of conducting credible elections contested by constitutionally eligible candidates when they are due.

Though he announced the news, the decision to pick Daniel Chapo as Frelimo's new leader wasn't a decree. Rather, it came as a result of a consensus reached by Frelimo's central committee. The Central Committee met for three days in the capital, Maputo after which the decision was reached.

For the 47-year-old Daniel Chapo, his main responsibility as he takes the reigns of the ruling party couldn't be clearer - he is tasked with steering his party to yet another electoral victory come October 9, 2024. Frelimo has been in power since 1975 when Mozambique attained its independence. Chapo will be hoping to extend Frelimo's hegemony in the upcoming polls.

Announcing the news that Daniel Chapo had been picked as Frelimo's new leader, President Filipe Nyusi said, "With the election of its candidate for president, Frelimo took an important step to prepare for victory in the October elections." The statement has been interpreted by political experts as an insight into Frelimo's election strategy of wooing young voters by way of giving them a 'young' candidate to vote for.

While some viewed the elevation of Daniel Chapo as a strategy to woo young voters, some political experts said Chapo's ascendency spelled doom for Frelimo. They cite the withdrawal of Chapo's closest rival, Roque Silva, as a testament to the huge frictions in the ruling party where two factions are fighting to control the party. One of the factions is believed to be aligned to the incumbent Filipe Nyusi while the other is sympathetic to former President Armando Guebuza.

In the first race before the withdrawal of Roque Silva, Daniel Chapo garnered 103 votes and in the second round after the withdrawal of Silva, he garnered 221 votes out of 240. Perhaps as a sign of acknowledgement that Frelimo is currently rocked by infighting and divisions, President Filipe Nyusi when he announced the news of Daniel Chapo's elevation to the leadership of the party made a rallying unity cry saying let's "give Daniel Chapo all our support." He went on to state that "We must all unite around comrade Daniel Francisco Chapo, in the demanding march towards electoral victory next October."

Speaking for the first time after he was elected as Frelimo's new leader, Daniel Chapo also pleaded for unity and said he is ready to work with everyone. “We will work... with all layers of society -- young people, women, men and war veterans... We are going to work with all social strata," he said.

As Mozambique prepares to go to the polls in October, Chapo by virtue of being the Frelimo candidate is already the frontrunner to become the next president. This is largely necessitated by Frelimo's dominance at the polls something demonstrated by last year's local authority elections where Frelimo won 64 out of 65 seats. If elected as Mozambique's new president, Chapo will lead a country that's currently battling an Islamist insurgency in northern Cabo Delgado province - the province with vast natural gas deposits, the largest found South of the Sahara.

Though riddled with Islamist militants, the northern Cabo Delgado province is anticipating "TotalEnergies SE’s imminent return to a $20-billion-plus natural gas project it paused three years ago after militants staged attacks nearby." Bloomberg states "The revival of TotalEnergies’ plan is crucial for a nation that’s among the poorest in the world." Chapo is yet to know his main rival in the upcoming polls as Renamo the main opposition party is scheduled to hold its own internal elections this month. Ossufo Momade, its current president, has faced internal criticism of his leadership. He got 21.5% of the national vote in 2019, compared with Nyusi’s 73%

*Culled From June Issue of PAV