Southern Africa’s regional body SADC has congratulated Mozambique’s ruling FRELIMO party for winning recent elections, extending its 48-year grip on power since independence.
Daniel Chapo, 47, won with 70% of the vote in the October 9 elections, despite opposition claims of electoral fraud.
He will become Mozambique’s fifth president since independence from Portugal in 1975, taking over from President Filipe Nyusi, who is stepping down after serving two terms.
The endorsement was made at a major regional summit in Zimbabwe, where Tanzanian Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo praised recent elections across southern Africa.
“All these member states successfully conducted their elections in accordance with national legislations,” Mr Kombo told delegates at Zimbabwe’s new parliament building near Harare.
But he acknowledged some challenges, urging “all political stakeholders to remain calm and exercise restraint while the electoral processes are being finalised.”
The summit has broader significance for the region, as leaders gather to discuss the future of their military mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The SADC Mission in DR Congo (SAMIDRC) is due to end next month. It was deployed to help the Congolese government tackle violence in the eastern regions, particularly North Kivu province.
The conflict has claimed more than 1,000 lives and forced over six million people from their homes.
Regional leaders are expected to decide whether to extend the mission’s mandate as they seek to restore stability in eastern DR Congo.
The extraordinary summit, hosted by Zimbabwe as current SADC chair, follows a series of preparatory meetings involving ministers and senior officials.
A final decision on both the DR Congo mission and other regional security matters is expected when heads of state meet on Wednesday afternoon.
The swift endorsement of Mozambique’s election results, despite opposition concerns, reflects SADC’s focus on regional stability over electoral disputes, analysts say.
But attention is likely to focus on the DR Congo crisis, amid growing pressure to find a lasting solution to one of Africa’s most persistent conflicts.
