MAPUTO, Oct 14, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The governing Frelimo party in Mozambique has won the vote in the capital city of Maputo, the elections commission said Sunday, in a tense vote widely expected to keep Frelimo in power.

Vote counting began Wednesday for presidential and parliamentary elections, with outgoing President Filipe Nyusi, 65, stepping down after the limit of two terms in office.

His party's candidate, Daniel Chapo, won the vote in Maputo, the electoral commission said, with 54 percent of the vote.

Independent candidate Venancio Mondlane, backed by the small party Podemos, obtained 34 percent of the vote, while Ossufo Momade of the main opposition party Renamo garnered 9.6 percent.

Mozambique voted for a new president, governors and members of parliament on Wednesday as jihadist violence stalls natural gas projects that could bring a major boost to its morose economy.

An estimated 17 million people in the southern African nation registered for the vote, whose final results are expected in around two weeks.

The socialist Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) is expected to win despite widespread disillusionment with the party, which has held on to power since independence from Portugal half a century ago.