CIP tries to stop Chapo becoming president of Frelimo

Maputo, 13 Feb (AIM) – The Mozambican anti-corruption NGO, the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), on Thursday applied to the Maputo City Law Court for an injunction to prevent President Daniel Chapo from becoming President of the ruling Frelimo Party.

The Frelimo Central Committee is meeting on Friday, and the main item on its agenda is to elect a new party leader to replace former President Filipe Nyusi.

But CIP argues that it is unconstitutional for one and the same person to be President of the Republic and president of a political party at the same time.

Article 148 of the Constitution states that “the President of the Republic may not, except in the cases expressly envisaged in the Constitution of the Republic, exercise any other public function, and in no case may he exercise any private functions”.

Political parties are private bodies, and it seems very clear that the Constitution bars the head of state, from also leading a political party. However, the weight of history is against CIP – since Mozambican independence, every President of the Republic has also been President of Frelimo. The likelihood of the Frelimo Central Committee breaking with this tradition, even if it is unconstitutional, seems minimal.

CIP also wrote to the two honorary presidents of Frelimo, former Presidents Joaquim Chissano and Amando Guebuza, to intervene and urge Chapo not to violate the Constitution which he has sworn to respect.

CIP contacted the Attorney-General’s Office (PGR), as the guarantor of legality, urging it to instruct Frelimo not to violate Article 148 of the Constitution.

CIP argues that, when the same person is both head of state and president of a political party, this risks compromising the impartiality and transparency of presidential decisions, and of putting party interests above national ones.
(AIM)
Pf/ (305)