President Mnangagwa arrived in Mozambique yesterday ahead
of the inauguration of Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi following his
re-election in October last year.
He was met at Maputo International Airport by Mozambican
Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Francisco Cigarro, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Mozambique,
Douglas Nyikayaramba, and other embassy staff.
The President was accompanied by Foreign Affairs and
International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo. The inauguration ceremony is slated for the Independence
Square in central Maputo today.
A statue of Mozambique’s late founding President Samora
Machel overlooks the square, and yesterday, workmen were putting final touches
in preparation for today’s ceremony.
President Mnangagwa will join 11 other Heads of State and Government and
over 3 000 delegates expected to attend the event.
Speaking to journalists on arrival, President Mnangagwa
said President Nyusi had freely won the elections.
“This is the inauguration of a brother, President Filipe
Nyusi who successfully won the last election here peacefully and fairly, so I
am happy to come to Maputo to witness the inauguration of my brother.
“When I was inaugurated in spite of the fact that he was in
the middle of an election, he was able to abandon the election process to come
for the inauguration so I have also come to witness the inauguration of my
brother,” said President Mnangagwa.
Several streets in Maputo were adorned with the country’s
flags and congratulatory messages for President Nyusi, who is the fourth
Mozambican President following independence from Portugal in 1975.
He is in his second and last term following his first
electoral victory in 2014.
President Nyusi’s party, the Front for the Liberation of
Mozambique (Frelimo), will maintain dominance in Parliament with a majority of
184 MPs out of 250, representing 73,6 percent of the seats.
The Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), which is the
main opposition party, has 60 seats (24 percent), while the Mozambique
Democratic Movement (MDM) got six seats (2,4 percent of the vote).
In the presidential election, Mr Ossufo Momade of Renamo
came second with 21,88 percent while in third place was MDM leader Daviz
Simango with 4,38 percent. Herald
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