Maputo — Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Thursday assured the nation he has no intention of staying in office beyond the end of his current term, in mid-January 2025.
In a televised address to the nation on the occasion of the Christmas and New Year holidays, he also denied that he was about to declare a state of emergency or a state of siege.
Nyusi was thus replying to presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane who had declared, in a video-conference with deputies of the European parliament in Strasbourg, that he was "profoundly convinced that President Nyusi wants to remain in power. He hopes that I will encourage people to hold violent demonstrations so that he has a reason to declare a state of emergency and thus stay in power for a few more weeks'.
"What is certain', said Nyusi, "is that in January I shall leave power'. He recalled that for years there has been speculation that he would seek a third term of office. But he had never wanted a third term, and made no attempt to obtain one.
The Mozambican constitution states that nobody may hold the post of President of the Republic for more than two consecutive terms, and Nyusi had never sought to amend this clause in the constitution.
"I always said I had no intention of staying in power, much less of seeking a third term of office, or of declaring a State of Emergency to remain in power', Nyusi said. "Mozambicans can be confident that this will not happen'.
On one point, Mondlane was correct. Nyusi confirmed that he had spoken to Mondlane by phone for more than an hour. He described their talk as "serene' but, like Mondlane, declined to give any details about what the two men had discussed.
"I shall continue with this kind of dialogue', the President promised, "respecting the privacy of each person, with all responsibility and sensitivity'.
Nyusi also announced a presidential pardon covering 1,119 prisoners. 919 of those pardoned had already served more than half of their sentences, 202 had been sentenced to prison terms of less than two years, and one was suffering from a chronic illness.
The President also announced two days of national mourning for the victims of tropical cyclone Chido which hit the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula on 15 December. The known death toll from the cyclone now stands at 73.
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According to the Mozambican relief agency, the National Disaster Risk Mangement Institute (INGD), 50 of the deaths occurred in the worst hit area, the Cabo Delgado district of Mecufi.
35,689 households were affected by the cyclone. 36,207 houses were destroyed, while 149 schools, 48 health units, and 13 places of worship were affected. The cyclonic winds knocked down 186 electricity pylons, and damaged nine water systems and 171 fishing boats.
