Mozambique: Renamo Threatens to Boycott Mayoral By-Elections

[Karee 4,191]

Maputo — Afonso Dhlakama, leader of Mozambique's main opposition party, Renamo, on Friday threatened to boycott the incoming mayoral by-elections to replace the mayors of Pemba and Cuamba and Quelimane.

On Tuesday, the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) approved the resignation of the mayors of Arnaldo Maloa, mayor of Cuamba (Niassa province); Sadique Yacub, mayor of Pemba (Cabo Delgado province); and Pio Matos, mayor of Quelimane (Zambezia province).

Dhlakama, however, claims that he is aware of the real intentions behind these by-elections, since none of the mayors renounced from their positions willingly. He argues that this is just a "ploy" of the ruling party, Frelimo.

Cited by the daily paper "Diario de Mocambique", Dhlakama said that ever since the Mayor of Quelimane, Pio Matos took office, he was never welcomed by the Frelimo party and, therefore, its is unreasonable to evoke mismanagement as one of the main reason for his resignation.

He also argues that there are other municipalities with management problems, with the mayors remaining untouched.

He added that if the mayors resigned for poor performance, the same should apply for the municipalities of Maputo (Mozambican capital) and the towns of Matola and Manhica (both in the province of Maputo), in the southern region of Mozambique, which in his view are being mismanaged.

For Dhlakama these mayors are immune because they are the "beloved children of the party (Frelimo)".

There had been complaints about the performance of these mayors, but the ruling party Frelimo denies that they were asked to resign, arguing that the decision was taken of their own free will.

Speaking at a press conference in Maputo on Tuesday, the Minister of State Administration, Carmelita Namashalua, explained that, because more than a year of their term of office remained, there would need to be by-elections. In the meantime, the mayors will be replaced by the chairpersons of the Municipal Assemblies.

Namashalua said everything will be done to mobilise funds to run the by-elections, to prevent a power vacuum developing in those municipalities.

Rumours began circulating in August that Frelimo had asked five mayors to resign. The list included the three who have now stepped down, along with the Jorge Macuacua, the mayor of Chokwe (Gaza province), and Alberto Chicuamba, the mayor of Manhica (Maputo province).

On 1 August, Arnaldo Maloa was the first to submit his resignation letter, followed later by Sadique Yacub and Pio Matos.

The dates of the by-elections are yet to be announced by the National Elections Commission (CNE).

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109051554.html