Maputo, 18 Jun (AIM) – Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, on Tuesday accused President Filipe Nyusi of using state resources to present the presidential candidate of the ruling Frelimo Party, Daniel Chapo, to the public at rallies in the provinces.
Chapo used to be governor of the southern province of Inhambane, and when, in a surprise decision, the Frelimo Central Committee elected him as the party’s presidential candidate on 5 May, he was not well-known outside of Inhambane.
In the ensuing six weeks, Chapo has travelled across the country, often accompanied by Nyusi who has presented him as the Frelimo candidate in the presidential election scheduled for 9 October.
At a Maputo press conference on Tuesday, the Renamo spokesperson, Jose Manteigas accused Nyusi of “abusing public resources for political party purposes”.
He said that Frelimo was using state-owned assets (such as public buildings and vehicles) for the rallies where Chapo was presented. Furthermore, during the rallies the public administration in the cities concerned ground to a halt.
Manteigas pointed out that this violated the law on election campaigns, which clearly states that state assets cannot be used for political party purposes. Unless Frelimo can prove that all the vehicles and other equipment used in Chapo’s rallies are owned or paid for by Frelimo, then it is indeed in breach of the law.
Such violations happen regularly, and election observers have repeatedly photographed state vehicles used in Frelimo motorcades.
Manteigas also used the press conference to announce the list of Renamo candidates for provincial governor in the provincial elections that will also be held on 9 October.
The best known of these candidates is the mayor of the central city of Quelimane, Manuel de Araujo, who is running for governor of Zambezia against the incumbent, Pio Matos of Frelimo.
Araujo is in with a chance, partly because he has a solid base of personal support, and partly because Pio Matos is a controversial figure within Frelimo.
To ensure that his name was on the ballot paper, the Frelimo Zambezia Provincial Committee had to run its internal election twice. In the first election, Matos won the support of less than 25 per cent of the committee.
The Frelimo Political Commission insisted that Matos must be the Frelimo candidate, and so a second election was held which reversed the result of the first. This time, 118 of the 120 Committee members voted for Matos. The other two votes were invalid.
Manteigas announced that Renamo is running its former general secretary, Andre Magibire, for governor of Sofala province, and the head of the Renamo Jurisdictional Council, Saimone Macuiane, in Manica. One of Renamo’s best known parliamentary deputies, Antonio Muchanga, becomes its candidate for governor of Maputo province.
The other candidates are not so well known. They are: Niassa – Orlando Leite; Cabo Delgado, Angela Eduardo; Nampula, Abiba Aba; Tete, Elvino Ferra; Inhambane, Joao Paulo Inacio; and Gaza, Feliz Tivane.
(AIM)
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