Maputo, 9 Aug (AIM) – Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo Party on Wednesday morning delivered the nomination papers for its candidates for the October municipal elections to the Maputo headquarters of the National Elections Commission (CNE).
Frelimo is running full slates of candidates for the assemblies in all 65 municipalities. The Party’s national election agent, Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo, told reporters that the papers submitted to the CNE “are well organized and structured”, and so she expected the party’s candidates to be approved.
“Now we must prepare ourselves for the election campaign”, she added. “We want the campaign to be an occasion for tolerance and festivity, in which each competing force presents the electorate with its proposals for governance”.
The election campaign “is not compatible with violence”, declared Macamo. “We are going to mobilise our members, to comply their mission zealously, but in compliance with democratic principles, and tolerance”.
The deadline for submitting nomination papers is next Friday, 11 August. Frelimo became the sixth party to submit its papers. The other five are all small organisations that are not expected to win any seats.
The minor parties are not competing in all the municipalities. Thus the Humanitarian Party of Mozambique (PAHUMO) is only standing candidates in three northern municipalities (Nampula, Nacala and Pemba).
The two main opposition parties, Renamo and the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) are expected to deliver their nomination papers later on Wednesday, or on Thursday.
The CNE spokesperson, Paulo Cuinica, told reporters that Friday is a real deadline, and that no nominations delivered later than Friday will be accepted.
(AIM)
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