Justice Ministry approves Mondlane’s party

Maputo, 15 Aug (AIM) – The Mozambican Ministry of Justice has authorised the political party set up by Venancio Mondlane, the most prominent opposition figure in the country, albeit with a slightly different name than initially proposed.

Mondlane’s party is the National Alliance for a Free and Autonomous Mozambique. At first, Mondlane gave this party the acronym ANAMALALA. This is a term in the Emakhuwa language, widely spoken across much of northern Mozambique.

A dispatch dated 28 May and signed by Justice Minister Mateus Saize, claimed that the use of a term in Emakhuwa could not be used as a party acronym because of its supposedly “ethno-linguistic” connotations.

The word was allegedly separatist and thus contrary to the principles of the Mozambican Constitution and of the Law on Political Parties.

In fact, it is the Minister who is in clear violation of the Constitution which, in Article 9, states that the Mozambican state should “value national languages as cultural and educational heritage and promote their development and growing use as languages expressing our identity”.

Banning a word in Emakhuwa certainly does not look like “valuing national languages” or promoting their use.

During the post-election demonstrations in late 2024 and early 2025, “Anamalala” became something of a battle cry used by Mondlane and his supporters. It can be translated into English as “it’s over” or “it has finished” – the “it” in question being the current political system dominated by the ruling Frelimo Party.

The Ministerial dispatch also claimed that there was no strict correspondence between the full name of the party and its acronym.

Mondlane did not think it worth fighting against the Justice Ministry over the acronym. So he shortened the acronym to ANAMOLA, which was accepted by the Ministry in a dispatch dated 7 August.

There is now no obstacle to publishing the statutes of the new party in the official gazette, the “Boletim da Republica”. As a recognised political party, Anamola will be able to take part in future elections.
(AIM)
Pf/ (338)