Maputo, 31 Mar (AIM) – The Maputo City Law Court has reversed its original decision on the injunction requested by Venancio Mondlane, the candidate for Mayor of Maputo, of Mozambique’s main opposition party Renamo, in last year’s municipal elections.
Mondlane had asked the court to declare null and void all actions taken by Renamo leader Ossufo Momade since 17 January, when his term of office expired.
Momade was elected President of Renamo at a congress held in January 2019. The Renamo statutes state that a congress must be held every five years. But the leadership under Momade did not fix the date for a congress, and so Mondlane argued that all the decisions taken by Momade since 17 January were illegitimate.
The court appeared to agree, since, in a ruling of 7 March, it suspended all decisions taken by Momade since 17 January.
This ruling cancelled Momade’s dismissal of Renamo provincial delegates in eight provinces, and the appointment of new ones.
But the court has now changed its mind. A ruling of 22 March annuls the 7 March suspension of Momade’s decisions.
It explained this ruling, signed by judge Eusebio Lucas, on the grounds that Momade’s decisions were “structuring acts” practiced during the term of office of the Renamo bodies elected in the 2019 Congress.
But this does not end the saga. Mondlane and his lawyers immediately announced his attention of appealing against the new ruling. They accused the court of giving no value to the evidence of witnesses who confirmed that, after 17 January, many Renamo members who did not align with Momade had been sacked from their positions.
Nonetheless, Mondlane has already won a significant victory, in that the party leadership has announced that a Congress will be held on 15-16 May.
Without Mondlane’s injunction it may be doubted whether any congress could have been convened.
Momade has announced his intention of running for another five year term of office as Renamo President. His main challenger will almost certainly be Mondlane. Whoever wins at the Congress is likely to be the Renamo candidate for President of the Republic in the presidential election scheduled for 9 October.
(AIM)
Cc/pf (353)
