Mozambique's Constitutional Council proclaims Daniel Chapo winner of presidential election

Maputo, Dec 24 Mozambique's Constitutional Council (CC), the body in charge of constitutional and electoral affairs, proclaimed Daniel Chapo the winner of the October 9 general elections.

Chapo will take the baton from the incumbent president Filipe Nyusi to become the fifth president of the Republic of Mozambique, Xinhua news agency reported.

As the presidential candidate of the ruling party Frelimo, Chapo has won 65.17 per cent of the votes, less than the 70.67 per cent announced on October 24 by the National Electoral Commission (CNE), according to the data released by President of the CC Lucia Ribeiro in Maputo, the Mozambican capital.

Venancio Mondlane, supported by the extra-parliamentary Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique or Podemos, obtained 24.19 per cent of the votes, higher than the 20.32 per cent announced by the CNE.

Ossufo Momade from the main opposition party Renamo secured 6.62 per cent and Lutero Simango, president of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), captured 4.02 per cent.

Ribeiro said that several irregularities were found during the electoral process, but not enough to invalidate the elections.

According to the CC, Frelimo also won an absolute majority in the parliamentary elections, winning 171 of the 250 seats in the Assembly of the Republic. The Podemos party finished second with 43 seats in the parliament, followed by Renamo with 28 seats and the MDM with 8 seats.

Local media reported that more than 100 civilians have died in the post-election chaos, and hundreds have been injured since protests erupted on October 21.

Rights groups have accused Mozambican security forces of using excessive violence in quelling the protests. Frelimo has ruled Mozambique since it gained independence from Portugal in 1975.