Maputo, 06 Oct (AIM) – The Inclusive National Dialogue has moved into the stage of consolidating proposals following the conclusion of public hearings among Mozambicans living abroad.
Now 10 working groups are tasked with organizing the contributions gathered during the consultations.
The hearings, which ended on Monday, covered nine countries, namely: South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Portugal and Germany. They focused on political, economic, social and institutional issues affecting the country.
COTE chairperson Edson Macuacua described the participation of citizens in the diaspora as positive and significant, saying they had freely expressed their views on the country’s future.
“We are satisfied with the wealth of contributions received. Participation was active and massive. Citizens freely expressed their views,” Macuacua said.
The consultations examined three reform scenarios developed during an earlier phase of the process. The first envisages far-reaching reforms, including constitutional reform and the creation of a new Republic; the second proposes moderate changes while maintaining the current political system; and the third maintains the existing State structure and political system, with adjustments.
The discussions covered 10 areas, including constitutional and electoral affairs, taxation, justice, the economy, natural resources, public administration and the de-partisanisation of the State, national unity and reconciliation, and defence and security.
Electoral issues, natural resources, national reconciliation, education, justice and corruption were among the issues that attracted the greatest attention from participants.
According to Macuacua, electoral legislation was among the priorities identified by the process, with the aim of ensuring the timely approval of a new legal framework to regulate future elections.
“Although the public hearings have formally ended, COTE will remain open to contributions from sections of society that were unable to participate. Digital platforms will also remain available for citizens to submit their views”, he said.
The diaspora consultations also expanded the international dimension of the process, including a meeting in Germany with the Germany-Africa Foundation and the presentation of Mozambique’s experience at a high-level event on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
(AIM)
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