He stepped off the gray jumbo jet to excited but subdued applause from several airport workers in neon vests. At least one of his passengers giddily approached him to take a selfie.
Nearly three months after fearing for his life and fleeing Mozambique, opposition leader Venancio Mondlane made a grand return to the country on Thursday, seeking to claim the presidency that is rightfully his.
Mozambique’s new president is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday from the long-ruling Frelimo party. Frelimo’s Daniel Chapo won the October election with 65% of the vote, according to the country’s Supreme Court. According to official tallies, Mondlane received just 24% of the vote.
Mr. Mondlane spent months claiming the race was stolen and calling on his supporters to take to the streets after independent election observers flagged voting irregularities. Some protests have turned violent, with at least 250 people killed in police responses that human rights groups have condemned as needlessly brutal.
Mondlane’s return comes at a sensitive time for the mineral- and gas-rich country of 33 million people. The government is struggling to deal with a housing and debt crisis and quell a years-long insurgency backed by Islamic State. Regional leaders like South Africa are sending envoys to try to broker a resolution to the political impasse that is hampering trade and threatening further economic damage.
But the outspoken opposition candidate refused to back down. “I, Venancio Mondlane, am the elected president of the people of Mozambique,” he said, raising his right hand in front of a group of news cameras outside the airport in the capital, Maputo. “I pledge the honor of serving Mozambique and its people.” said.
About 400 meters away, thousands of supporters packed a police barricade and chanted “The president has arrived!” The President has arrived! ” Under a gentle drizzle. Police used tear gas to keep the crowds at bay.
Current president Filipe Nyusi convened a meeting Thursday with leaders of the main opposition parties to discuss a solution, but some say the meeting lacked credibility because Mondlane was absent. After the meeting, Chapo said the two parties had agreed to consider amending the electoral law and constitution “to take into account the interests of Mozambicans.”
Mr. Mondrain, 50, may appear to some as an election denier, a populist troublemaker. But to his supporters, he is a singular person at a singular moment. Voters across Southern Africa, led by restless young people, have harshly criticized former liberationists at the polls over the past year.
Corruption, unemployment, inequality and poor living conditions have fueled widespread anger against political leaders in Mozambique and the surrounding region. Mr. Mondlane seized on the wave of dissatisfaction with a simple message: “I will give the country back to its people.”
As celebratory crowds thronged Mondlane’s motorcade in Maputo on Thursday, witnesses said police responded with tear gas and bullets with little provocation, leaving at least one man bleeding from the head on the pavement. It is said that he gushed and died. A police spokeswoman declined to comment on the deaths, saying they were still gathering information.
“What Mozambicans don’t want is Frelimo,” said Francisco Victor Chimene, a 25-year-old driver, standing next to the open-air market where Mondlane had earlier addressed a crowd of supporters. . “What we want is change, and we can see Venancio changing this country.”
Trained in agriculture, Mr. Mondlane has a varied background. He has worked as a banker, Pentecostal pastor, and television pundit. His political break came in 2013 when he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Maputo. He lost again in the mayoral election two years ago, a result that was hotly contested by civil society groups who alleged massive fraud. The court ordered a recount in key districts citing fraud.
Mondlane ran for president last year with support from the small party Podemos after losing a leadership contest with Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo. His meteoric rise as a candidate has garnered global attention, rallying young left-wing voters at home to his support, while gaining support among right-wing populists abroad.
in Video posted on social media During last year’s campaign, Mondlane thanked former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was accused of plotting a coup, calling him a “man of God.”
Jonatas Feitosa, a conservative evangelical pastor in Brazil and a friend of Mr. Mondlane, said Mr. Mondlane sees Mr. Bolsonaro as a “trailblazer.” Bolsonaro has cast himself as an antidote to the left-wing parties that have dominated Brazilian politics for more than a decade.
Frelimo, which has communist roots, has ruled Mozambique since it gained independence from Portugal in 1975. But the party has since lost the trust of many Mozambicans due to rampant corruption. The government’s violent response to the post-election demonstrations was seen by many as a sign of Frelimo’s desperate attempt to maintain power.
Mondlane traveled to Portugal during the presidential campaign and met with Andre Ventura, leader of Chega, a far-right nationalist party that supports strict immigration controls and has fought against reparations for former colonies. But like Mondlane, Mr. Chega has established himself as a champion of the working class.
Ventura said in an email that the party is building a common political platform with Mondrain that focuses on “fighting corruption and crime, protecting families and order, and addressing the breakdown of the judiciary and other institutions.” He said he was thinking of doing so.
Mr. Mondlane has not publicly addressed his relationships with foreign right-wing figures. But such ties matter little in a country where most voters struggle to find their next meal or stable housing, said Benjamin Francisco Malate, a 38-year-old businessman.
“We support Mr. Venancio not because he is left-wing or right-wing,” Malate said. “We just support the solutions he presents.”
His proposals include policies that would require major state intervention, such as building 3 million homes over five years and financing projects aimed at youth and women.
Standing on top of a car surrounded by a packed crowd of thousands of people in Maputo on Thursday, Mondrain said the country would have two presidents if the government goes ahead with next Wednesday’s inauguration. He said it would be. “Who runs this country?” Mr. Mondrain shouted into the loudspeaker.
“It’s the people,” the crowd responded.
Ana Ionova Contributed reporting from Rio de Janeiro and Tiago Carrasco from Lisbon.
