Maputo, 5 Sep (AIM) – Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo Party was forced on Monday to find a new mayoral candidate to head its list for the 11 October municipal election in the northern city of Nampula.
Less than two months ago, on 16 July, the Frelimo Nampula district committee unanimously elected the Nampula provincial governor, Manuel Rodrigues, to head its list of candidates for the city.
It was said at the time that Rodrigues was the right man for the job, and that he would win back control of the city for Frelimo. Nampula has been governed by the opposition since 2013 – first by the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), and then by Renamo.
But within a few weeks Rodrigues resigned, without giving any explanation (at least in public), thus forcing the district committee to hold an extraordinary session to replace him as mayoral candidate.
The new head of the Frelimo list for Nampula is Luis Giqueira, a 45 year old businessman working in real estate. Like Rodrigues, he was elected unanimously by the district committee.
Chairing the meeting, the national director of the Frelimo election campaign, Celso Correia, said “Comrade Manuel Rodrigues has expressed his desire to drop out, and has put his position in our hands”.
“Comrades”, he added, “we have learnt and experienced something that we always preached – which is that, in Frelimo, what counts is the collective. Nobody on his own is stronger than Frelimo”.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Correia said that the attitude taken by Rodrigues was “an internal party matter. But in due time the party will make a statement”.
Giqueira declared “I am ready. In Frelimo, missions are to be carried out, and I am ready to carry out this mission that the party has delegated to me”.
Correia praised Giqueira as “well-known and respected in Nampula. He is a young man capable of implementing the Frelimo manifesto, and bringing the thought of Frelimo for the next five years in the transformation of Nampula”.
Frelimo cannot be pleased at this change of mayoral candidate forced on it less than three weeks from the start of the official municipal election campaign.
Rodrigues was not present at the Monday meeting that elected Giqueira. His future as provincial governor must now be in serious doubt.
(AIM)
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