Maputo — Oscar Monteiro, a veteran of the Mozambican war for independence, and once a member of the Political Commission of the ruling Frelimo Party, under the country's first President Samora Machel, on Thursday called for a discussion of who should be Frelimo's presidential candidate in the election scheduled for 9 October.

Speaking during a meeting of the national committee of the Association of veterans of the National Liberation Struggle (ACLLN), Monteiro declared that the most important issue for ACLLN should be the discussion of who should succeed Filipe Nyusi as President of Frelimo.

And since the leader of Frelimo has a clear advantage in the October election, the discussion would also be about who should be the next President of the Republic.

Monteiro noted the question of the succession is not on the agenda for the ACLLN meeting. "This agenda deals with internal and organizational questions of our association', he said, "and every now and then, these points must be discussed, but we cannot ignore the most important questions the country has to face'.

For Monteiro, the succession and the choice of the presidential candidate should be the key matters to be debated by ACCLN. "There is an elephant in the room, and that elephant is the elections', he said.

Frelimo was "very late' in announcing the names of possible presidential candidates, and this delay might cost it dear at the ballot box.

But people listening to Monteiro's speech on the independent television station "TV Sucesso', did not hear what else he had to say. For suddenly the equipment of the TV crew was switched off.

This petty piece of censorship had the effect of ensuring that Monteiro's warning would become a major news topic for the rest of the day.

To date the only "pre-candidate' who has publicly declared that he intends to stand in the internal elections for President of Frelimo is Samora Machel Junior ("Samito'), the son of the country's first leader.