Maputo — The Central Committee of Mozambique's ruling Frelimo Party ended a two day meeting on Saturday night, with the party's leadership declaring that the top priority must be preparations to ensure a decisive victory in the municipal elections scheduled for 11 October.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, speaking at the closing session in his capacity as President of Frelimo, said that each member of the Central Committee must participate actively in identifying and carrying out concrete actions that make it possible to attain the strategic goal of a Frelimo victory in all 65 municipalities.
Each member must carry out the Central Committee guidelines, he insisted - including explaining to the public the goals and challenges of the Unified Wage Table (TSU) introduced for the public sector last year, and implementing the government's economic acceleration measures.
"In short, we must step up our political work and our compliance with the government programme, so that Frelimo keeps its position of leading the country successfully', said Nyusi.
Prime Minister Adriano Maleiane told reporters that winning the elections "means transmitting the message of development and hope'.
He recognized that the elections will only be won with hard work. "The country is ours and we have to do everything within our capacities to make Mozambique a prosperous country', he declared.
The Central Committee meeting was overshadowed by the death on Saturday morning of Frelimo founder member and former Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi, at the age of 82.
Nyusi said Mocumbi's death "is a great loss, not only for the Frelimo family, but for the Mozambican nation, to the construction of which he made an invaluable contribution'.
He recalled that Mocumbi had played an active role in the foundation of Frelimo in 1962, and had held various senior positions in the party, including membership of both the Central Committee and the Political Commission.
A message from Frelimo itself said "the physical disappearance of Comrade Pascoal Mocumbi opens in all of us a vacuum that will be difficult to fill'.
The government has declared two days of national mourning, starting at zero hours on the date of his funeral. That date is not yet known and will depend on discussions between the government and the Mocumbi family.
