CTA backs down, allows Matsombe to stand

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CTA backs down, allows Matsombe to stand

7:24 CAT | 08 May 2017

O País (file photo) / Quessanias Matsombe

Faced with the threat of court intervention, Mozambique’s Confederation of Business Associations (CTA), the representative of the country’s employers, has backed down and is allowing Quessanias Matsombe, proposed by the Mozambique Tourism Federation (FEMOTUR), to stand in the election for the new CTA chairperson.

Matsombe had earlier been disqualified by the CTA electoral commission, in what looked like a manoeuvre to ensure that the only other candidate, Agostinho Vuma, of the Mozambican Association of Contractors would stand unopposed.

On Thursday, the CTA held a general meeting which reached what the independent newssheet “Mediafax” called “a gentlemen’s agreement”, allowing Matsombe to stand. In fact, the CTA had little choice – it could either allow Matsombe to run or wait until a court imposed his candidacy.

In late April, the CTA electoral commission rejected Matsombe nomination papers, on the grounds that he had an inadequate number of CTA member organizations supporting him. Under the CTA statutes, a candidate requires the backing of at least ten associations, but the commission claimed that Matsombe did not meet this threshold, and even accused him of behaving in a “fraudulent” manner.

Matsombe’s campaign fought back vigourously, and insisted that the electoral commission had lied about Matsombe’s supporters.

“Contrary to what has been claimed, it was not only FEMOTUR which presented letters of support in its capacity as representative of the 11 associations affiliated to it, but it also obtained letters of support from other associations, which were deliberately and totally ignored”, said a statement from the Matsombe campaign.

Matsombe and his backers applied for and obtained a restraining order from a Maputo urban district court, which barred the CTA from holding the election until the court had a chance to examine the evidence presented by Matsombe.

Faced with the strong possibility that the court would find in Matsombe’s favour, the General Assembly overruled the electoral commission, and decided that Matsombe’s name would appear on the ballot paper.

After this victory, Matsombe promised to withdraw his court complaint, and the CTA election, originally scheduled for Friday, was set for 25 May. The meeting also voted to expand the electoral commission from five to seven members.

Source: AIM