More than 17 million Mozambicans are called on to vote for a new president on Wednesday, with incumbent Filipe Nyusi, 65, prevented by the constitution from seeking a third term.
Nyusi’s Frelimo party has held power since independence from Portugal in 1975 and its candidate, Daniel Chapo, is widely expected to become the new president.
Here are the main contenders.
– Daniel Chapo, unknown favourite –
At 47 years old, Chapo was relatively unknown until he was named the Frelimo candidate in May, a surprise announcement after the party could not reach a consensus.
With limited experience in politics or government, he will become Mozambique’s first president born after independence from Portugal and the first not to have served as a Frelimo fighter.
A balding former political science lecturer, Chapo has a law degree and has worked as a radio presenter. He was appointed governor of the southern province of Inhambane in 2016.
– Venancio Mondlane, ambitious breakaway –
Dapper and ambitious, 50-year-old Mondlane quit the main opposition Renamo party in June 2024 in a leadership struggle and has joined forces with the smaller Podemos (“We Can”).
His charisma and fiery speeches have roused enthusiasm among younger voters, leading analysts to believe he may have a chance of overshadowing Renamo.
A forestry engineer and Renamo MP for Maputo from 2015, he was the party’s candidate for the capital’s mayor in 2023 elections but was defeated, claiming fraud afterwards.
He became known during protests against alleged irregularities in the 2019 general elections when Frelimo was declared to have taken 73 percent of the votes.
– Ossufo Momade, opposition veteran –
Momade, 63, has headed Renamo since 2019, the year he signed an accord with Frelimo to end a new outbreak of conflict following the failure of a first peace deal in 1992.
He entered the civil war as a 17-year-old soldier, rising to become one of Renamo’s top military leaders.
After Renamo transitioned from a rebel group to a conservative political party, he was elected as MP in 1999, a post he still holds.
When Frelimo swept municipal elections in October 2023, Momade claimed fraud and called for demonstrations.
Renamo also alleged fraud after the 2019 general election, as did civil society and some international observers, and Momade refused to attend Nyusi’s inauguration.
– Lutero Simango, centre-right –
Simango, 64, has been president of the centre-right Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) since 2021, when he took over from his influential late brother Daviz Simango.
The MDM was formed in 2009 in a split with Renamo.
Simango has led a campaign focused on the economy and access to healthcare. He is outspoken in his loathing of Frelimo, whose leaders he describes as “thieves dressed in red”, the party’s colour.
