Maputo, 31 May (AIM) – Venancio Mondlane, who was the candidate for mayor of Maputo of Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, in last year’s municipal elections, has lost his seat on the Maputo Municipal Assembly, because he did not attend the official swearing-in ceremony, and because he has exceeded the allowed number of absences from meetings.
Recently, Mondlane declared that he is standing for the Mozambican Presidency as an independent, after the Renamo leadership denied him the chance to stand for the post of President of Renamo at the party’s Congress.
The representatives of the country’s two largest parties, Frelimo and Renamo, agreed on the resolution stripping Mondlane of his seat, on the grounds that this is simply in line with the law.
According to Renamo spokesperson, Marcial Macome, the approval of the resolution is within the framework of the legal norm that regulates the Municipal Assembly.
“Renamo agrees with the application of the law. What the law says is what was done and what should have been done. It’s not about Renamo’s will or not, it’s about compliance with the law”, he said.
According to the rules, he said, a person can lose his assembly seat for various reasons and “in this case, it’s because he didn’t turn up to be sworn into office and exceeded the number of absences allowed by law”.
For his part, Gervásio Ruface, spokesman for the Frelimo group, said that the Assembly had taken a wise decision since the law was respected.
“It’s not an invention. It’s not something to do with party X or Y. We, as an Assembly, have to ensure that the law is complied with”, he said.
The representative of the county’s second largest opposition party, the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), Inocêncio Manhique, believed that Mondlane’s case is a matter for Renamo to handle.
“We abstained because we believe that this is a matter for the Renamo caucus and only the Renamo caucus could proceed with any situation regarding the case”, he said.
(AIM)
Smm/ad/pf (340)
