Mozambique opposition leader open to serving in rival government

Mozambique's main opposition leader, Venâncio Mondlane, has told the BBC he is willing to serve in government if President Daniel Chapo meets his demands to end the political crisis that has hit the country after contested elections.

Chapo said he had set up a team that was “considering” whether to invite his rival to join a new “inclusive” government.

The two men explained their situation in separate interviews with the BBC, giving the impression that they were open to a rapprochement after the death of around 300 people in riots after the election.

Mondlane denied losing in the October election, saying the result was rigged – something Chapo denied.

The highest court in Mozambique declared Chapo the winner with 65% of the vote to Mondlane's 24%.

Chapo was a candidate for the ruling Frelimo party, as his predecessor, Filipe Nyusi, had to resign after serving two terms in office.

Chapo was officially sworn in as president on January 15, about a week after Mondlane held his own inauguration to declare himself “the people's president.”

Mondlane told the BBC that Chapo was “imposed” on the country, and that he was “the president of the defense force”.

Mondlane said he had, however, decided to suspend protests for the first 100 days of his rival's term on the condition that he did the following:

unconditional release of about 5,000 people detained for taking part in demonstrations against the election result
to pay compensation to the families of people killed by the police during the protests and
offered free medical treatment to about 200 people injured by the police.

Mondlane said that if Chapo agreed to this, he would “open a window” for negotiation or else he would ask his supporters to renew their complaints.

When asked if he was willing to work in Chapo's government, Mondlane replied: “Yes, if he is really interested in working with me. He has the opportunity to invite me to the negotiating table.”

In a red T-shirt, Daniel Chapo poses for a selfie with a smiling woman in Maputo on December 23, 2024 — Daniel Chapo has promised to heal the divisions created by the election (EPA)

In his interview with the BBC, Chapo said he wanted to “govern in an inclusive way”, and introduce reforms to address concerns about electoral law, human rights and freedom of expression.

He said that discussions were currently underway with the opposition parties represented in the new parliament, and that they would be expanded to include “every section of society- social”.

Chapo said he wanted to create a government that was “open to all Mozambicans”, but he wanted to emphasize that “the image of the people is very important”.

When asked if he thought Mondlane deserved to serve in the government, Chapo replied: “It depends… because there is a team that is currently considering that, in terms of the image of the people, their abilities, their merit, their patriotism – all. those prerequisites I am referring to.

“If the team decides that these people have the right image, they will be part of the government. Those who do not have that image, they will not participate.”

At the age of 47, Chapo was chosen by Frelimo, which has been in power since independence 49 years ago, as a candidate to rally young voters affected by high unemployment, and who are tired of party rule for decades.

He told the BBC that he wanted local and foreign investment to increase in Mozambique to make the economy “more dynamic”.

This would help create jobs for young people so they could “build their homes, establish their families and stabilize their lives”.

Mondlane, 50, was seen to have a lot of support among young people after he rallied them during the election campaign with the slogan “Save Mozambique – this country is ours”.

He contested the vote as an independent after breaking away from the main opposition Renamo party.

A small party that supported his bid won a few parliamentary seats in the election.