Maputo — Afonso Dhlakama, the leader and presidential candidate of Mozambique's main opposition party, Renamo, has promised that, if he loses the presidential election next week, he will never stand again.
Speaking in Domue, in the western province of Tete, Dhlakama went even further. He told an election rally that if he broke his word, and did stand again in 2014, then people should not vote for him.
Cited in Thursday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", he pledged that he would only stand in 2014, if this was for a second term of office, after winning this year.
This is the fourth time Dhlakama has run for the presidency. On all three occasions the candidate of the ruling Frelimo Party (Joaquim Chissano in 1994 and 1999, and Armando Guebuza in 2004) has beaten him. In 2004, Guebuza won 63.7 per cent of the vote to just 31.7 per cent for Dhlakama.
In his Tete rallies, Dhlakama repeated his claims that he alone has been responsible for keeping Mozambique at peace over the past 17 years, despite what he called "provocations" by Frelimo.
"With Dhlakama and Renamo in power we shall not allow theft in the state apparatus", he declared. "We shall not allow corruption. We shall have a responsible government".
Dhlakama made the sweeping claim that, in 34 years of independence, Frelimo had brought "nothing new" to the country. Mozambique needed change, he said, and only he and Renamo could bring that change.
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