Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
16 October 2009
Maputo — Eduardo Mulembue, chairperson of the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, and head of the election brigade of the ruling Frelimo Party in the western province of Tete, declared on Thursday that he is ever more confident of a Frelimo victory in the province in the general elections scheduled for 28 October.
"There are evident signs that we will be able to achieve our dream of victory and rerun our achievements of 2004 and 2008", he declared at a press conference in Tete city.
In 2004, Frelimo reversed the dominance in Tete that the opposition had previously enjoyed, winning 14 of the Tete parliamentary seats to just four for the former rebel movement Renamo. In the 2008 local elections, Frelimo candidates cruised to easy victories in the Tete, Moatize and Ulongue municipalities.
The 2004 victory, however, was marred by significant fraud, particularly in Changara district, where many polling stations recorded an impossible 100 per cent (or even more that 100 per cent) turnout. This deprived Renamo of a couple of parliamentary seats.
Mulembue claimed that the tireless work of Frelimo members meant that the campaign in Tete had reached 106 per cent of the electorate. Since this figure is clearly absurd, Mulembue presumably means that some voters were contacted more than once.
He said that the population of the province were "totally open" to the message of a better future, hope, confidence and experience demonstrated by Frelimo.
Mulembue added that Frelimo has successfully penetrated areas previously regarded as bastions of Renamo, such as Mutarara and Angonia districts. He declared that the campaign has "buried the phantom" of aversion to Frelimo in these districts.
His words will soon be put to the test - Renamo leader and presidential candidate Afonso Dhlakama is scheduled to begin his campaign in Tete in Mutarara district on Saturday.
Mulembue also announced two encouraging items of news for the economic development of Tete. He said that within a few weeks the first stone will be laid for the construction of a new bridge over the Zambezi in Tete city, downstream from the existing Samora Machel bridge.
There are severe traffic limitations on the current bridge, and a new bridge will come as a relief to drivers along the Zimbabwe-Malawi highway which passes through Tete.
Mulembue also announced the arrival in Tete of 150 tractors, which could greatly boost agricultural production in the province.
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