MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Mozambique's ruling party candidate Daniel Chapo was declared the winner of the country's presidential election Thursday as the opposition claimed the vote was rigged and one party said it would challenge the result in court.
According to the national election commission, Chapo won with 70,67% of the national vote, followed by independent candidate Venancio Mondlane with 20,32% of the vote. The candidate of the opposition party Renamo, Ossufo Momade, came third with 5,81% of the total votes.
The results of the Oct. 9 election mean the governing Front for the Liberation of Mozambique party, or Frelimo, has extended its 49 years in power since the southern African country gained independence from Portugal in 1975. It then fought a bloody 15-year civil war against rebel group Renamo, which later became the main opposition party and also contested this election.
Speaking shortly after the results were announced, Chapo told supporters he condemned the recent killings of two opposition figures. He also criticized the strikes called by the opposition to protest what it claimed was systematic deceit.
Police quelled the demonstrations this week, dispersing them by firing teargas.
“As the Frelimo party, we want to once again reiterate our repudiation of the murders of Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe as well as other citizens physically affected in this ongoing process of demonstrations," said Chapo.
Dias, a lawyer and advisor to opposition presidential candidate Mondlane, was killed when gunmen riddled his car with bullets in the port capital of Maputo last Friday. Guambe, the party spokesperson, was also in the car and was killed.
Chapo promised to “try to do better for the Mozambican people,” regardless of race, religion or political affiliation.
Lutero Simango of the opposition Mozambique Democratic Movement, who got just over 3% of the vote, on Thursday disputed the election outcome and said his party would challenge the results in court.
“We from the MDM will be on the side of the people, of electoral justice, and will combat all manipulations, which is why we will combine legal and political action so that the results reflect the will of the voters," he said.
Despite the confirmation of the results by the election commission, the Constitutional Council will have the final say after it considers any appeals filed by the opposition.
Chapo will face immediate challenges including an extremist organization affiliated to the Islamic State group that has launched attacks on communities in the northern province of Cabo Delgado since 2017. It has carried out several beheadings.
Around 600,000 of the 1.3 million people who fled the province since 2017 have since returned home, many to shattered communities where houses, markets, churches, schools and health facilities have been destroyed, the United Nations said earlier this year.
Mozambique also faces high levels of unemployment and hunger, exacerbated by El Nino-induced severe drought. According to the U.N. World Food Program, 1.3 million people face severe food shortages.
Frelimo has often been accused of rigging elections, which it has consistently denied. Current President Filipe Nyusi of Frelimo is stepping down after serving the maximum two terms allowed.
The EU’s observer mission said this week that some of its election observers had been prevented from monitoring counting in some areas and there was an “unjustified alteration” of results at some polling stations.
Independent political analyst Onisio Buanaissa said it was in the best interest of the country for the opposition to accept the election results as announced by the electoral commission.
“You may not be satisfied with the result, but you need to respect that it is the majority. This is the very logic of liberal democracies,” he said.
Follow AP’s Africa coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/africa
Mozambican police deploys in the streets of Maputo, Mozambique, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, during a nationwide shutdown protest following a disputed Oct. 9 election. (AP Photo/Carlos Uqueio)
Mozambican police deploys in the streets of Maputo, Mozambique, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, during a nationwide shutdown protest following a disputed Oct. 9 election. (AP Photo/Carlos Uqueio)
FILE - Vote counting gets underway at a polling station in Maputo, Mozambique, in general elections Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Uqueio, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and their New York teammates were showered with confetti as the Liberty celebrated winning the WNBA title in the Canyon of Heroes in downtown Manhattan.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined the thousands who lined the streets on Thursday.
The Liberty won the franchise's first championship, defeating the Minnesota Lynx in overtime in a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“(To) see how many people were in the crowd, smiling, celebrating the Liberty," Ionescu said. "It really puts into perspective what it means to bring a championship to this city and how it really takes everyone.”
Veteran Liberty players from the early teams, including Teresa Weatherspoon, Vickie Johnson, Kym Hampton and Crystal Robinson, along with current coach Sandy Brondello. attended the parade and ceremony afterward at City Hall.
The parade route was full of fans of all ages, with many of the kids wearing jerseys of their favorite players. Jones carried her Finals MVP trophy atop her float, while Stewart and Ionescu went into the crowd, giving high-fives and taking selfies with fans.
“This is awesome. I’ve been a Liberty fan since they first started playing” said Sarah Davis of the WNBA’s debut in 1997. “It’s so cool that we won and we could celebrate with a parade.”
There have been over 200 ticker-tape and confetti parades in New York. The most recent to honor a women's sports team came in 2019 when the U.S. soccer team won the World Cup. Two years later, there was a parade to honor essential workers and first responders for their service during the coronavirus pandemic.
“On behalf of 20 million incredibly proud New Yorkers, I say welcome home to our champion women,” said Hochul, who thanked Liberty owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai for investing in the team. “Let’s do it again next year.”
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Sabrina Ionescu holds the WNBA basketball championship trophy during the New York Liberty's parade Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Liberty's owner Joe Tsai, left, and Clara Wu Tsai, right, pose with New York Liberty's center Jonquel Jones before the WNBA championship team's parade Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Members of the New York Liberty, including Jonquel Jones holding the MVP trophy, makes their way up Broadway during the WNBA basketball championship parade Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Members of the New York Liberty, including Jonquel Jones holding the MVP trophy, makes their way up Broadway during the WNBA basketball championship parade Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Liberty MVP Jonquel Jones greets the crowd as she arrives on stage during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York mayor Eric Adams speaks during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Liberty owners Clara Wu Tsai and Joe Tsai applaud during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Liberty Courtney Vandersloot talks to fans during a ceremony in honor of the Liberty's WNBA championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Liberty Sabrina Ionescu waves during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Liberty MVP Jonquel Jones celebrates during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Liberty Breanna Stewart places the championship trophy on a table as she arrives on stage during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello speaks during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The New York Liberty mascot, Ellie the Elephant, kisses the championship trophy during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The New York Liberty, their supporters, local officials and others celebrate during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Liberty Kennedy Burke dances with the mascot, Ellie the Elephant, during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Liberty fans react while watching players parade down the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway celebrating the team's WNBA basketball championship, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones, center, waves as she rides on a float holding the MVP trophy to celebrate the team's WNBA basketball championship over the Minnesota Lynx, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Spectators react as a float with members of the New York Liberty make its way up Broadway during the WNBA basketball championship parade Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu holds up the WNBA basketball championship trophy while riding down Broadway during a parade celebrating the team's season championship, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
