In two days, over 17 million Mozambicans will participate in the election to choose a new president as Filipe Nyusi, 65, cannot run for a third term due to constitutional restrictions.
Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1975, the Frelimo party has been in power, and its nominee, Daniel Chapo, is expected to become the next president.
Here are the leading contenders.
Daniel Chapo
At 47, Daniel Chapo was relatively unknown until his surprising nomination as the Frelimo candidate in May. The decision was made after the party struggled to reach a consensus.
With limited political experience, he is set to become Mozambique’s first president born after independence from Portugal and the first leader not to have served as a Frelimo fighter.
A balding former political science lecturer, Chapo holds a law degree and has worked as a radio presenter. He was appointed governor of the southern province of Inhambane in 2016.
Venancio Mondlane
Dapper and ambitious, 50-year-old Venancio Mondlane left the main opposition Renamo party in June 2024 amid a leadership struggle and has now allied with the smaller Podemos (“We Can”).
His charisma and passionate speeches have sparked enthusiasm among younger voters, leading analysts to speculate that he could potentially eclipse Renamo.
A forestry engineer, Mondlane has served as a Renamo MP for Maputo since 2015 and was the party’s candidate for the capital’s mayor in the 2023 elections. However, he was defeated and subsequently claimed electoral fraud.
He gained notoriety during protests against alleged irregularities in the 2019 general elections when Frelimo was declared to have received 73% of the votes.
Ossufo Momade
At 63, Ossufo Momade has led Renamo since 2019, the same year he signed an accord with Frelimo to put an end to renewed conflict following the collapse of the original peace deal in 1992.
He joined the Civil War as a soldier at age 17 and eventually became one of Renamo’s top military leaders.
As Renamo transitioned from a rebel group to a conservative political party, he was elected as an MP in 1999, a position he continues to hold.
Following Frelimo’s sweeping victories in the municipal elections of October 2023, Momade alleged electoral fraud and called for protests. Renamo made similar claims after the 2019 general elections, echoed by civil society and some international observers, and Momade refused to attend President Nyusi’s inauguration.
Lutero Simango
At 64, Lutero Simango has been the president of the centre-right Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) since 2021, having taken over from his influential late brother, Daviz Simango. The MDM was formed in 2009 after a split from Renamo.
Simango has campaigned on economic issues and access to healthcare. He is particularly vocal in his disdain for Frelimo, referring to its leaders as “thieves dressed in red,” a nod to the party’s colours.