The candidate from the ruling Frelimo party has been declared the winner in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, as announced by the electoral commission on Sunday during the ongoing vote count for the presidential and parliamentary elections.
Daniel Chapo, representing the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), secured 54% of the votes in Maputo, according to the electoral commission.
Independent candidate Venancio Mondlane, backed by the small Podemos party, received 34%, while Ossufo Momade from the main opposition party, Renamo, garnered 9.6%.
Preliminary results released on Wednesday showed Chapo leading in all 11 provinces, making him likely to be the country’s next president.
But election observers say they have doubts over the integrity of the poll saying it did not meet international standards.
They’ve reported issues including disorganized counting, poorly sealed ballot boxes, vote buying, inflated voter rolls, and intimidation in some areas.
Opposition parties, meanwhile, have cried fraud and at least one of them has called for a nationwide strike on Monday.
Another has said it will challenge the results in court.
Frelimo has governed Mozambique since its independence from Portugal in 1975 and has been consistently accused of rigging elections — an allegation it denies.
Final results are expected on the 24th of October.