Chapo elected president of Frelimo

Maputo, 14 Feb (AIM) – At an extraordinary meeting in Maputo on Friday, the Central Committee of Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo Party elected President Daniel Chapo to head the party as well.

For a period of a few months, the former President, Filipe Nyusi, had been at the head of Frelimo. Now the situation has reverted to what has been the norm ever since independence in 1975, with the posts of President of the Republic and President of Frelimo united in the same person.

243 members of the Central Committee were present at the vote. 241 voted for Chapo and there were two blank ballots.

In his first speech as President of the Party, Chapo thanked the members of the Central Committee for the trust they had placed in him. He declared that leading Frelimo would be a challenge, and he asked for the support of all Frelimo members “to continue working to consolidate peace, national unity and development”.

“No-one can lead a country like Mozambique on his own”, Chapo said.

His predecessor, Filipe Nyusi, congratulated him. He claimed that he had led Frelimo through “difficult moments”, but had managed to keep the party in power.

He urged Frelimo members to give Chapo more time to solve the problems facing the country.

Chapo is the sixth president of Frelimo since the party was founded in 1962. Remarkably, four of the Frelimo presidents are still alive, a tribute to the party’s ability to handle its transitions peacefully.

The Central Committee is now electing the Party’s new general secretary (the position previously held by Chapo) and the members of the Central Committee secretariat.
(AIM)
Pf/ (270)