The Portuguese government has decided to send the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, to represent Portugal at the inauguration of Daniel Chapo as the 5th President of the Republic of Mozambique.

Minister Paulo Rangel arrives on Wednesday, January 15, and will represent Portugal that day at the State ceremony.

The order follows the approval of a parliamentary recommendation in Portugal that the government should not recognize the results of the Mozambican elections of October 9, 2024.

The decision goes against the position of several Portuguese parties who have pointed out serious irregularities and fraud in the electoral process. On Friday, the Portuguese Parliament generally approved a recommendation to this effect, with votes in favor from Chega, IL, BE and Livre, abstentions from PS, PSD and CDS-PP and votes against from the PCP.

Rangel's arrival confirms that Portugal will be present, even without explicit recognition of the election results.

According to Observador, the Minister is due to hold talks with the Portuguese community in Mozambique.

At the last presidential inauguration in Mozambique in 2020, after the re-election of Filipe Nyusi, it was the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who attended the ceremony.