Mozambique's ruling party candidate Daniel Franciso Chapo, 47, was declared the winner of the country's presidential election on Thursday, October 24. The ruling party Frelimo retained power in this month's national election, extending its five-decade rule in the Southern African state.

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Chapo will now succeed President Filipe Nyusi, 65, to become Mozambique's fifth president since its independence from Portugal in 1975.

Frelimo has been in power since Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1975.

Nyusi is stepping down after serving the maximum two terms. The results of the October 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.

According to Mozambique's National Elections Commission (CNE), Chapo won by 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.

In May, Frelimo announced Chapo, a member of its Central Committee, as the party's candidate in this month’s presidential election. Chapo, a newcomer politician who joined politics in 2011 was a favourite to win the elections because he has the advantage of Frelimo’s incumbency power, analysts said.

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The law graduate, Frelimo's first presidential candidate born after the country's independence in 1975, was appointed governor of the province of Inhambane in March 2016.

Before that, he taught constitutional law and political science. Born in Sofala Province, in 1977, Chapo has a master's degree in development management from the Catholic University of Mozambique.

Earlier, during the six weeks of campaigning, Chapo, among other things, promised that peace would be restored to the Cabo Delgado province where host nation and Rwandan security forces are conducting joint operations to remove terrorists.

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Nyusi will step down after eight years in office. He will be the last of Frelimo’s pro-independence fighters-turned-presidents who were at the front lines of the country’s liberation war.