Mozambique Elections: EU to send observers to October elections
DW (File photo) / Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama
While believing that US policy for Africa will remain largely unchanged, the Renamo leader expects more vigourous democracy and more honesty from the US President-elect.
After Donald Trump’s victory on Wednesday (9 November), DW Africa spoke to Afonso Dhlakama, president of Renamo, Mozambique’s largest opposition party.
DW Africa: What do you expect for Africa from Donald Trump’s presidency and more specifically for Mozambique ?
Afonso Dhlakama (AD): It will depend on the Republicans’ foreign policy. He knows that the American tradition does not differ much between Democrats and Republicans, especially when it comes to Africa. But I would like Donald Trump to be more honest with the African continent, because we continue to struggle with lack of democracy. As the world leader, the President of the United States of America should encourage African leaders to accept democracy and not that tradition of thinking that democracy is for Americans and Europeans. Democracy has neither colour nor race, it is democracy. I would like the new President, a Republican, to take into consideration the idea of effectively supporting democracy on the African continent and in particular in my country which is experiencing problems.
DW Africa: With regard to Trump’s radicalism and. for example, his racism and xenophobia, are you not afraid that it might harm the African continent?
AD: I don’t think so, we will have to see. For example, we had the apartheid regime, condemned all over the world, near here, but which never came to expand, influence the world or even neighbouring countries. So this radicalism might be a personal problem. But there is no doubt that Trump represents the wealthiest, most powerful country in the world, if not the world superpower.
I think these little things [racism and xenophobia] may tarnish his image, but I think that’s not going to weigh so much, because what we need is America as a strong country which can not just go attack Iraq, forgetting about its African friends, who need democracy and, above all, the development of those human rights that Americans praise and support so much.
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