Maputo — The former mayor of the northern Mozambican port of Nacala, Raul Novinte, has resigned from the country's main opposition party, Renamo.

According to the electronic paper "Jornal Txopela', Novinte resigned in a letter dated Tuesday, and addressed to the Renamo Nacala district delegation.

He said he took the decision "after deep reflection and consideration of my personal and professional circumstances'. He expressed gratitude for "the opportunities and experiences I have had during the time I have been involved in the party'.

This resignation was expected. Novinte is a close supporter of Venancio Mondlane, who was the Renamo candidate for Mayor of Maputo in last year's municipal elections, and who resigned from Renamo on Monday.

Novinte was mayor of Nacala from 2018 to 2023. He stood for a further term of office last year, and blames his defeat on electoral fraud. Mondlane and Novinte are expected to found a new political party in the near future.

Meanwhile, Mondlane has announced that all the paperwork required for his candidacy for the 9 October presidential election has been collected and will now be submitted to the Constitutional Council. The Council, which must inspect the legitimacy and authenticity of all presidential nominations, says that it will receive Mondlane's nomination papers on Thursday.

This means that Mondlane and his team have collected the necessary supporting signatures from registered voters (at least 10,000) in less than a month. This would be a remarkable achievement, since each signature must be duly recognized by a notary.