The Central Committee of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) has endorsed Daniel Francisco Chapo, the current governor of Inhambane province, as the governing party’s presidential candidate for the general elections slated for October 9.
The announcement on Sunday night came after an extraordinary three-day meeting and an internal vote.
Initially scheduled for last Friday, deliberations extended over the weekend, reflecting intense internal discussions.
Chapo secured his candidacy with a resounding 225 votes (94.1 percent) from the 254-member Central Committee.
Aged 47, Chapo is set to succeed President Filipe Nyusi who has served two terms since 2014 and is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election.
Born post-independence on 6 January 1977 in Inhaminga in the central Sofala province, Chapo marks a generational shift being FRELIMO’s first candidate born after independence in 1975.
He graduated in Law from Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo in 2000.
Chapo beat a very competitive field that included FRELIMO general secretary Roque Silva and president of parliament Esperança Bias.
Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Movement of Mozambique on Sunday also elected Luther Simango as the presidential candidate of the general elections.
JN/APA