Américo Iemenle is the new president of Nampula Municipal Assembly

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Américo Iemenle is the new president of Nampula Municipal Assembly

12:09 CAT | 14 Nov 2017

DW / Américo Iemenle (left) and Filomena Mutoropa

Américo da Costa Iemenle, 36, was elected interim mayor of Nampula, in the north of Mozambique, on Monday. Iemenle will also temporarily chair the City Council until the mayoral by-election scheduled for January 24.

Iemenle was previously head of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM) bench on the city council.

The election results from the resignation of acting mayor Manuel Tocova, arrested last Thursday for illegal possession of a firearm. Tocova was granted bail on Monday (13.11) according to his lawyer, quoted by the local press.

The lawsuit against the former interim mayor will go ahead and, according to the police, the deposed mayor could serve a sentence ranging from eight to 12 years in prison.

Américo Iemenle competed for the post with Filomena Mutoropa of the Humanitarian Party of Mozambique (PAHUMO), who obtained one vote, against 24 for his opponent. Of the 45 members of the assembly, MDM has 24 seats, FRELIMO 20 and PAHUMO one.

Controversial abstention

Frelimo chairman Pedro Kulyumba explained why his party had not put up a candidate or voted in the election.

“Seeing clearly that we are on a slimy and muddy road, we would not like to bathe in this slime and mud. In these terms, respecting and considering the good reputation of our party in the bosom of the citizens, respecting also the great value of human life, we abstain from participation in the voting for the new head of the municipal assembly,” Pedro Kulyumba said

Will the functions be balanced?

Mosambik Gemeindeversammlung Nampula (DW/S. Lutxeque) — Municipal Assembly in Nampula

Luís Aristides, representative of the body that represents the central government in the Nampula municipality, has made recommendations to the new Municipal Assembly president and the interim president of the Municipal Council, saying that he will have to follow scrupulously what is embodied in the law and in the regimen, such as complying with the schedules of the sessions of the Municipal Council and those of the Municipal Assembly, and taking into account that, on January 24, 2018, his functions will terminate.

“So what I wanted to say to the new president-elect is to get the machine working properly and to consult the local administrative guardianship on any questions arising, as well as the Ministry of State Administration and Public Administration and the Ministry of Ecomony and Finance,” Aristides said.

The new mayor-elect has made sure that the two institutions are functioning well, but believes that “it will only be possible to achieve greater successes if everyone cooperates.”

Mosambik Festnahme von Manuel Tocova (DW/S. Lutxeque) — Weapons and ammunition seized in the possession of Manuel Tocova

“I want to assure all members present that I will represent the body with all my zeal. I am open to working with anyone of good faith who has an interest in seeing this municipality develop,” he promised.

Details on the January 24 election

The campaign for the mid-term election of Nampula will run from 9 to 21 January. The president of the National Elections Commission (CNE), Abdul Carimo, has indicated that the submission of candidatures will be open between December 2 and 16 and the location of polling stations will be announced 25 days before the date of the election (January 24, 2018). .

On Friday, the CNE estimated the cost of the interim municipality election at 37.8 million meticais (EUR 530, 000).

The Mozambican government called the election in Nampula following the assassination of the mayor, Mahamudo Amurante, on 4 October.

Mahamudo Amurane was a member of the MDM, a party that controls the Nampula Municipal Assembly, but had announced that he would leave the party due to disagreements with the leadership.

Source: Deutsche Welle