Maputo, 3 Jun (AIM) – Venancio Mondlane, who was the candidate for mayor of Maputo for Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, in last year’s municipal elections, has resigned from Renamo.
A letter from Mondlane to Renamo General Secretary Clementina Bomba, dated Monday, and published by the electronic paper “Jornal Txopela”, said that “after deep reflection, and concluding that I should seek alternative means to continue to promote ethics, principles and values in a full democracy, I am hereby resigning my membership of the party”.
In a second letter, addressed to Esperanca Bias, the chairperson of the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, Mondlane also resigned his position as a parliamentary deputy.
During the dispute over the municipal elections, Mondlane became one of the best known faces of Renamo, repeatedly leading marches through the streets of Maputo protesting against the fraudulent results announced by the National Elections Commission (CNE).
Credible parallel vote counts showed that Renamo had won in Maputo, and that Mondlane should therefore be the new mayor of the city. The Constitutional Council, the country’s highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law, corrected some of the fraud, transferring many thousands of votes from the ruling Frelimo Party to Renamo, but this was not enough to give Renamo a majority in the Maputo municipal assembly.
Mondlane announced his intention to bid for the leadership of Renamo at the party’s congress, held in the municipality of Alto Molocue in mid-May. But the Renamo leadership refused to allow Mondlane to attend the Congress, let alone compete for the party presidency.
Renamo leader Ossufo Momade was easily re-elected – but Mondlane promised to stand as an independent in the election for President of the Republic scheduled for 9 October.
Mondlane’s supporters have been busily collecting the 10,000 supporting signatures he will need for his presidential bid. He is also expected to set up his own political party in the near future.
(AIM)
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