Nyusi resigns as Frelimo president

Maputo, 14 Feb (AIM) – Former Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Friday resigned as President of the ruling Frelimo Party.

His final responsibility as Party President was to open an extraordinary meeting of the Frelimo Central Committee that will elect his successor. He submitted his resignation in a letter to the party’s Political Commission, which in turn put it before the Central Committee, where it was immediately accepted.

This was entirely expected and prepares the way for the election of President Daniel Chapo as the new leader of the party. Since there is no other candidate, the result is a foregone conclusion. All that is in doubt is whether any members of the Central Committee will cast blank or invalid ballots.

Nyusi admitted that there are disagreements over whether one and the same person should be both President of the Republic and President of Frelimo. He said a decision on the matter will be taken at a future Congress of the Party.

However, there is a strong argument that the current arrangement is unconstitutional. 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 generally considered to be private bodies, and it seems very clear that the Constitution bars the head of state from also leading a political party.

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 Chapo from becoming President of Frelimo. As of Friday afternoon there was no sign that the court had considered this request.

If Chapo, as expected, becomes President of Frelimo, he must leave his current post as General Secretary of the Party, and the Central Committee will elect a new General Secretary. No candidates have yet come forward.
(AIM)
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