Mozambique Elections: “Momade must apologise for his defeat” – Alfredo Magumisse

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Mozambique Elections: “Momade must apologise for his defeat” – Alfredo Magumisse

6:44 CAT | 31 Oct 2024

File photo: DW

In an exclusive interview with DW Africa, Alfredo Magumisse, the candidate defeated at the last Renamo congress, calls for accountability from the president and the Renamo political committee for the historic defeat in the general elections.

The largest opposition party in Mozambique, Renamo, is “on fire” due to the poor results achieved in the last general elections, with internal voices calling for the removal of the party leader, Ossufo Momade.

The senior Renamo member reacts to his party’s decline in the general elections of October 9.

DW Africa: How do you classify Renamo’s third place in the elections of October 9 and the loss of reference as the “main opposition party” in Mozambique?

Alfredo Magumisse (AM): The situation of the elections and taking into account the results published so far by the CNE, which place Renamo in third place and with only 40 deputies, to be confirmed by the Constitutional Council, is deplorable, sad, painful and above all, painful, given Mozambicans’ eagerness for change.

DW Africa: Long before the Renamo congress, you had come out publicly demanding that the party’s leadership be more dynamic. Do you believe that it was the lack of this dynamism that punished Renamo in the October 9 elections?

AM: There are a number of factors that need to be analysed. There are a lot of new people, with a different way of thinking and there is already a reasonable group of intellectuals. There is a manifesto that is sold to the people for voting, taking into account their candidates. The people did not welcome this manifesto and the Renamo candidates. The people did not vote and the party was penalized.

DW Africa: In recent days, several voices have been publicly demanding that General Ossufo Momade resign as president of Renamo and allow new blood and new dynamics to enter the party. Does Engineer Magumisse share this sentiment?

AM: I share the same line of thought. Renamo presented a manifesto and its candidates. They were not well received by the people and the party had the worst result. There needs to be accountability. Renamo is a presidential party. The manifesto was approved with the consent of the party’s central bodies. They must take responsibility for the defeat and must retract their statements.

DW Africa: When you talk about the party’s bodies, who are you referring to?

AM: The political committee and the president. They are the ones most responsible for approving the manifesto and therefore have the greatest responsibility in this situation.

DW Africa: Some say that there are currently two wings in the party: one pro-change and the other pro-Momade. Which side is the engineer on?

AM: I do not accept the existence of two wings; there is only one Renamo. There are different ideas about how we want to achieve the same goal: to bring Renamo to power. The current leadership led the party to this last result. In these terms, I repeat, there must be accountability. This does not mean that those who are with or against Ossufo Momade are the so-called wings. The party president must be respected, but he must take responsibility for the choices he made.

Watch: RENAMO rejects rumours of Momade’s departure