Maputo, Dec 24 (NationPress) The Constitutional Council of Mozambique (CC), responsible for overseeing constitutional and electoral matters, has declared Daniel Chapo as the winner of the October 9 general elections.

Chapo is set to succeed the current president, Filipe Nyusi, becoming the fifth president of the Republic of Mozambique, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

As the candidate from the ruling party Frelimo, Chapo received 65.17 percent of the votes, a decrease from the 70.67 percent reported by the National Electoral Commission (CNE) on October 24, according to data presented by CC President Lucia Ribeiro in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique.

Venancio Mondlane, backed by the non-parliamentary Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), garnered 24.19 percent of the votes, surpassing the 20.32 percent stated by the CNE.

Ossufo Momade from the leading opposition party Renamo secured 6.62 percent, while Lutero Simango, the president of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), received 4.02 percent.

Ribeiro noted that several irregularities were detected during the electoral process, but they were insufficient to annul the elections.

The CC also reported that Frelimo secured an absolute majority in the parliamentary elections, winning 171 out of 250 seats in the Assembly of the Republic. Podemos finished second with 43 seats, followed by Renamo with 28 seats and MDM with 8 seats.

Local reports indicate that more than 100 civilians have lost their lives in the unrest following the elections, with hundreds more injured since protests erupted on October 21.

Human rights organizations have accused Mozambican security forces of employing excessive force to suppress the protests. Frelimo has governed Mozambique since it achieved independence from Portugal in 1975.