Frelimo elects candidates for Nampula and Inhambane

Nampula (Mozambique), 2 Jun (AIM) – Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo Party on Saturday chose a prominent local businessman, 62 year old Eduardo Abdula, as its candidate for governor of the northern province of Nampula, in the provincial elections scheduled for 9 October.

Abdula was elected by acclamation at an extraordinary meeting of the Frelimo Nampula Provincial Committee, after the only other candidate, Amisse Mahando, the current chairperson of the provincial assembly, had dropped out.

Abdula is a member of the Frelimo Central Committee, and is married to a former Minister of Health, Nazira Abdula.

At the Saturday meeting, he declared that his priority as governor would be the fight against poverty. “Our efforts must be directed against poverty”, Abdula said. “National unity, and the culture of peace and of hard work are the most important weapons for fighting this scourge”.

The Frelimo Political Commission has attempted to control the selection procedure, by ordering that all the current provincial governors must stand again.

But there were two exceptions to this rule. One was Nampula, where the current governor, Manuel Rodrigues, is still out of favour with the Political Commission, because he refused to run as the Frelimo candidate for mayor of Nampula city in last year’s municipal elections.

The second exception is the southern province of Inhambane. The current governor Daniel Chapo, cannot stand again, because he is the Frelimo candidate for President of the Republic. Chapo cannot run a presidential campaign while he is still provincial governor.

So on Saturday the Frelimo Inhambane provincial committee chose the current administrator of Vilanculo district, 33 year old Francisco Pagula, as its candidate for provincial governor.

He promised that he would take as his priorities, tourism, business and youth. “We must inculcate among our young people the need for profitable enterprises, looking at the potential of our province in tourism, fisheries, agriculture and agro-processing”, said Pacula, cited by the independent daily “O Pais”.

The Political Commission instruction that the current governors must stand again backfired very badly in the central province of Zambezia. Here the meeting of the Frelimo Provincial Committee overwhelmingly rejected the current governor, Pio Matos, according to a report in “Jornal Txopela”, an electronic paper published in the provincial capital, Quelimane.

The paper said that only 25 per cent of the committee members voted for Matola. The other 75 per cent of the votes were either blank ballots or spoilt votes.

It is not yet clear how the Political Commission will deal with this act of defiance.

(AIM)

Ri/pf (423)