He disembarked from a gray jumbo jet to the cheering but dejected applause of a few neon-vested airport workers. At least one of his companions approached him for a selfie.
Nearly three months after fleeing Mozambique, saying he feared for his life, opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane returned Thursday to seek what he insists is his rightful claim: the presidency.
Mozambique is expected to anoint the new president of the long-time ruling party Frelimo on Wednesday. Daniel Chapo of Frelimo won with 65 percent of the votes in the October elections, according to the country’s highest court. According to official figures, Mr. Mondlane got only 24 percent.
After many independent election observers pointed out that there was something wrong with the vote, Mr. Mondlane spent months protesting that the race was stolen, asking his supporters to fill the streets. Some protests turned violent, with at least 250 people killed when police responded with what human rights groups called unnecessary brutality.
The return of Mr. Mondlane comes at a critical time for this mineral and gas rich nation of 33 million. The government is struggling to deal with housing and debt problems, as well as ending a years-long insurgency backed by the Islamic State. Leaders of countries such as South Africa have sent delegations to try to resolve the political crisis that has halted trade and threatens further economic damage.
However, this opposition group that came out in the open refused to back down. “I, Venâncio Mondlane, have been elected president by the people of Mozambique,” he said, raising his right hand in front of the sound of news cameras outside the airport in the capital, Maputo, “I swear to serve Mozambique and Mozambicans.”
About one kilometer away, thousands of his supporters crowded the police barricades, shouting, “The president has arrived! The president has arrived!” under a constant drizzle. The police stopped the crowd using tear gas.
Filipe Nyusi, who is the current president, brought together the leaders of the opposition parties in a meeting on Thursday to discuss solutions – which some say lacks credibility because Mr Mondlane was not present. After the meeting, Mr. Chapo said the parties have agreed to look into making changes to the electoral law and the constitution “to take care of the needs of the people of Mozambique.”
Mr. The 50-year-old Mondlane may appear to some as a person who denies the election and who troubles many people. But to his supporters, he is one person at a time. Voters in South African countries, led by unstable youth, this past year strongly condemned the freedom fighters in the elections.
Corruption, unemployment, inequality and poor living conditions have fueled anger in Mozambique and across the region from political leaders who are seen as outsiders. Mr. Mondlane has caught that wave of discontent to give a simple message: He was going to return the country to the people.
Since the crowds of people who attended the event were full of Mr. Mondlane in Maputo on Thursday, witnesses said that the police, without getting angry, responded with tear gas and bullets, leaving at least one man dead on the side of the road with blood pouring from his head. A police spokesperson 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 near the open market where Mr. Mondlane had previously spoken to crowds of his followers. “What we want is change. We see that Venâncio will change this country.”
Educated in agronomy, Mr. Mondlane has different working qualifications. He has worked as a banker, a Pentecostal minister and a television expert. His political breakthrough came in 2013 when he failed to run for mayor of Maputo. He was also defeated in the mayoral race two years ago, but the result was a big controversy with civil society organizations saying there was a big fraud. The court ordered a recount in the main district due to irregularities.
After losing the leadership race to the main opposition party in Mozambique, Renamo, Mr. Mondlane ran for president last year with the support of a small party, Podemos. His meteoric rise as a candidate attracted international attention, gaining him support among right-wing demographics abroad, even as younger, left-leaning voters backed him at home.
In a video posted on social media during the campaign last year, Mr. Mondlane thanked Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil accused of plotting a coup, calling him “a man of God.”
Mr. Mondlane sees Mr. Bolsonaro as a “pioneering man,” said Jonatas Feitosa, a pastor of an evangelical church in Brazil and a friend of Mr. Mondlane. Mr. Bolsonaro has positioned himself as the antidote to the left-wing party that has dominated Brazilian politics for more than a decade.
Frelimo, which has communist roots, has ruled Mozambique since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975. But the party has lost the trust of many Mozambicans due to rampant corruption. The government’s violent response to the post-election protests is seen by many as an indication of Frelimo’s greater attempt to seize power.
While campaigning for the presidency, Mr. Mondlane traveled to Portugal, where he met with André Ventura, the president of Chega, a nationalist group that supports tough immigration measures and fights for the return of former colonies. But Chega also made himself a hero of the working class, like Mr. Mondlane.
Mr. Ventura said in an email that his party hopes to build a common political platform with Mr. Mondlane focused on “fighting corruption and crime, protecting the family and order, and dealing with the collapse of justice and other institutions.”
Mr. Mondlane did not come out and talk about his relationship with right-wing players abroad. But in a country where most voters struggle to find their next meal or a stable home to live in, those obligations are less important, said Benjamin Francisco Malate, a 38-year-old businessman.
“The reason we support Venâncio is not whether he is from the left or the right,” said Mr. Malate. “We simply support the solutions he presents.”
Some of his proposals include policies that would require significant government intervention, such as building three million homes over five years and financing youth and women’s businesses.
While standing on top of a car surrounded by a crowd in Maputo on Thursday, Mr. Mondlane said that if the government goes ahead with the inauguration next Wednesday, the country will have two presidents. “Who is in charge of this country?” Mr. Mondlane shouting in the tunnel.
“It’s the people,” answered the crowd.
Ana Ionova contributed reporting from Rio de Janeiro and Tiago Carrasco from Lisbon.
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