Maputo — Mozambicans who oppose the ruling Frelimo Party are agents of foreign forces, according to Frelimo Political Commission member Damiao Jose, cited in Monday's issue of the independent daily "O Pais'.
Jose revived a longstanding theory, according to which there are "foreign agents' (whom he did not identify) "who are trying to combat and weaken Frelimo and remove it from power, by using some Mozambicans'.
Jose insisted that there is no crisis inside Frelimo, contradicting the view expressed publicly by other prominent Frelimo members, including Graca Machel, widow of the country's first President, Samora Machel.
"There are aspects that concern us, regarding citizens who abuse other citizens, merely because they are wearing clothes bearing the Frelimo emblem', he said. "The intention of such acts is to try to show that Frelimo does not enjoy acceptance and popularity'.
"This is part of a plan that is not new', he claimed. "It is an old plan to weaken Frelimo, to fight against Frelimo'. That was "an agenda of foreign agents using Mozambicans'.
"The Frelimo Party is the party of the people', he declared. "They will not manage to achieve this goal'.
Jose boasted that Frelimo won the municipal elections held on 11 October in 64 of the country's 65 municipalities. That claim depends entirely on the preliminary results announced by the National Elections Commission (CNE) on 27 October, which have been dismissed as fraudulent by opposition parties and by much of civil society.
Jose said that, at the next meeting of the Frelimo Central Committee, "we will have to explain why we did not win in just one municipality, the city of Beira'.
The opposition Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) won in Beira. Parallel vote counts by the opposition, and by credible observer groups, suggest that, in reality, the main opposition party, Renamo won in several large cities, including Maputo, Matola, Nampula and Quelimane.
The Constitutional Council, the country's highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law, will proclaim the definitive results at a date yet to be fixed.
