4 July 2008
Maputo — Mozambique's ruling Frelimo Party declared on Friday that it is intent on winning all 43 of the country's municipalities in the local elections scheduled for 19 November.
Speaking at a Maputo press conference, the party's Central Committee Secretary for Mobilisation and Propaganda, Edson Macuacua, declared that only with Frelimo in power in the municipalities could the interests of their citizens be defended and services improved.
"All municipal citizens have the right to be well served and good services can only be provided by Frelimo", he claimed. "So we intend to repeat our victory in the 28 municipalities that are already in our hands, win the 10 new municipalities, and regain control of the five that are currently run by the opposition".
In the 2003 local elections, mayors from the Renamo-Electoral Union opposition coalition were elected in the country's second largest city, Beira, and in the municipalities of Nacala, Angoche, Mozambique Island and Marromeu. With the exception of Marromeu, Renamo also won a majority in the municipal assemblies in these cities and towns.
Frelimo has a low opinion of the opposition's capacity to run municipal affairs. Macuacua said the five municipalities in opposition hands "are very badly managed, which results in poor provision of services".
This mismanagement was shown, he added, "by the incorrect use of financial resources, the failure to keep promises, theft of money from municipal taxes and fees, institutionalized corruption, and marginalization and harassment of people who do not belong to the opposition parties".
Macuacua added that the performance of the 28 municipalities governed by Frelimo will be assessed during an extraordinary meeting of the Party's Central Committee, scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday. The meeting will look at the results achieved in municipal governance over the last few years and the emerging challenges, and will draw up guide lines for the election manifestoes.
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