The new president must not only end post-electoral violence, but reverse the political and economic exclusion that fuelled it.

Listen to this article 7 min Listen to this article 7 min Daniel Chapo, Mozambique's fifth president, inherits a nation embroiled in violent post-electoral protests that in three months have led to more than 300 deaths, and destroyed businesses and social infrastructure.

The international community, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC), has appealed for and mobilised efforts to resolve the crisis.

But the violent demonstrations against the 9 October election results, coupled with the police's brutal response, are not the core of Mozambique's problems. They are merely the tip of the iceberg of a divided and intolerant society needing reconciliation.

The current crisis stems from former president Filipe Nyusi's authoritarian rule, marked by systematic electoral fraud, the persecution and assassination of opposition leaders, and the exclusion of rival political parties and civil society from governance.

The problem is not, however, solely political. It is rooted in the political economy and unequal distribution of the country's wealth. Indeed, the underlying causes of the nearly 10-year-old violent insurgency in Cabo Delgado - socioeconomic inequalities, political exclusion and elite corruption - may also be driving post-electoral violence across the country's major cities.

Political elites, who are also...