Venancio Mondlane returns to Mozambique and declares himself president

He stepped off the huge gray plane to enthusiastic but subdued applause from a few airport employees in neon jackets. At least one passenger giddily approached him for a selfie.

Nearly three months after fleeing Mozambique, saying he feared for his life, opposition leader Venancio Mondlane made a grand comeback on Thursday to try to claim what he insists is rightfully his: the presidency.

Mozambique is set to inaugurate a new president from the country’s long-ruling Frelimo party on Wednesday. Daniel Chapo of Frelimo won 65 percent of the vote in the October elections, according to the country’s highest court. According to the official statistics, Mundelein received only 24%.

After several independent election observers identified voting irregularities, Mr. Mondlane spent months arguing that the race was stolen, calling on his supporters to take to the streets. Some protests turned violent, with at least 250 people killed during a police response that human rights groups described as needlessly brutal.

Mr. Mondlane’s return comes at a sensitive moment for this mineral and gas-rich country of 33 million people. The government is struggling to address the housing and debt crises, and to suppress a years-long insurgency supported by the Islamic State group. Regional leaders such as South Africa have sent envoys to try to broker a solution to the political impasse that has hampered trade and threatens further economic damage.

However, the outspoken opposition candidate refused to back down. “I, Venancio Mondlane, are the president elected by the Mozambican people, and I swear on my honor to serve Mozambique and the Mozambicans,” he said, raising his right hand in front of a group of news cameras outside the airport in the capital, Maputo.

About a quarter-mile away, thousands of his supporters crowded police barricades, chanting: “The president has arrived!” The president has arrived!” under a steady drizzle. Police pushed back the crowd using tear gas.

Filipe Nyusi, the current president, brought together leaders of the main opposition parties for a meeting on Thursday to discuss solutions — a practice some say lacks credibility because Mr. Mondlane was not there. Following the meeting, Mr. Chapo said the parties agreed to consider changes to the electoral law and constitution to “meet the interests of Mozambicans.”

Mr. Mondelein, 50, may seem to some to be an election denier and a populist troublemaker. But to his supporters, he is a unique figure at a unique moment. Voters across South Africa, led by a restive youth population, over the past year have sharply criticized former liberation parties at the ballot box.

Corruption, unemployment, inequality and poor living conditions have sparked widespread anger in Mozambique and across the region towards political leaders seen as out of touch with reality. Mr. Mondelein has seized on this wave of discontent to deliver a simple message: He will return the country to the people.

As celebratory crowds packed Mr. Mondlane’s motorcade in Maputo on Thursday, witnesses say the police, with little provocation, responded with tear gas and bullets, leaving at least one man dead on the sidewalk with blood streaming from his head. A police spokesman declined to comment on any deaths, saying they were still gathering information.

“What people in Mozambique don’t want is Frelimo,” said Francisco Victor Chimin, a 25-year-old driver, standing next to an open-air market where Mr. Mondlane had addressed crowds of supporters. “What we want is change. We see that Venancio will change this country.

Mr. Mundelein was educated in agricultural engineering and has a diverse resume. He has worked as a banker, a Pentecostal pastor, and a television analyst. His political breakthrough came in 2013 when he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Maputo. He lost the mayoral race again two years ago, but the result was highly controversial with civil society organizations that claimed widespread fraud. A court ordered a recount of votes in a key district due to irregularities.

After losing the leadership battle in Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, Mondlane ran for president last year with the support of a smaller party, Podemos. His rapid rise as a candidate has attracted global attention, earning him support among right-wing populist figures abroad, even as young left-wing voters rally behind him at home.

in A video clip was posted on social media During last year’s election campaign, Mr. Mondlane thanked Jair Bolsonaro, the former Brazilian president accused of plotting a coup, and called him a “man of God.”

Mr. Mondlane sees Bolsonaro as a “pioneering man,” said Jonatas Feitosa, a pastor of a conservative evangelical church in Brazil and a friend of Mr. Mondlane. Bolsonaro has portrayed himself as an antidote to the leftist party that has dominated Brazilian politics for more than a decade.

Frelimo, which has its roots in communism, has ruled Mozambique since the country’s 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 an indication of Frelimo’s desperate attempt to cling to power.

During his presidential campaign, Mr. Mondlane traveled to Portugal, where he met with André Ventura, President of the Republic of Portugal. Chega, the far-right nationalist party Which supports stricter immigration measures and fought against reparations to former colonies. But Chiga also presented himself as a working-class hero, like Mr. Mundelein.

Mr. Ventura said in an email that his party hoped to build a common political platform with Mr. Mondlane focused on “fighting corruption and crime, defending family and order, and addressing the breakdown of justice and other institutions.”

Mr. Mondelein has not spoken publicly about his ties to right-wing figures abroad. But in a country where most voters struggle to find their next meal or a stable home to live in, these relationships don’t matter much, says Benjamin Francisco Malate, a 38-year-old businessman.

“The reason we support Venancio is not because he is from the left or the right,” Mallat said. “We only support the solutions he offers.”

Some of his proposals include policies that require significant state intervention, such as building three million homes in five years and financing businesses for youth and women.

As he stood on top of a car surrounded by a crowd of thousands in Maputo on Thursday, Mr. Mondlane said that if the government went ahead with the inauguration next Wednesday, the country would have two presidents. “Who runs this country?” Mr. Mundelein shouted into the loudspeaker.

The crowd replied: “It is the people.”

Anna Ionova Reporting from Rio de Janeiro and Thiago Carrasco from Lisbon contributed.