Frelimo and MDM choose their presidential candidates this weekend – Mozambique Elections | Carta

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Frelimo and MDM choose their presidential candidates this weekend – Mozambique Elections | Carta

8:50 CAT | 02 May 2024

in file CoM

Within less than 72 hours, both Frelimo and the Democratic Movement of Mozambique will select their candidates for the presidential elections on October 9th. The two parties go into the decisive meetings with pre-candidates still unannounced.

Almost 30 days after the Frelimo Central Committee met in an ordinary session in Matola, without electing the presidential candidate, the members of the body will sit again, this Friday, with a single agenda item: the election of the candidate.

However, unlike 2014, 10 years ago, and 48 hours before the decisive moment, the members of the Central Committee still do not officially know from among which names they will choose their bet for the red tip. But Samora Machel Jr., son of the first President of Mozambique; António Hama Thay, a retired general; and Assembly of the Republic deputy Gabriel Júnior, have expressed their willingness to enter the race.

The candidate to be elected must be able to create conditions to solve problems such as terrorism, kidnappings, corruption, financial situation and payment to public servants, argues political analyst Dércio Alfazema.

Alfazema says that the candidate for the Presidency of the Republic must be able to “work to unite Mozambicans and look at structuring agendas to do with security”, such as the situation in Cabo Delgado, the kidnappings and “consolidate the gains of the DDR and the reintegration and reconciliation agenda”.

Journalist and commentator Fernando Lima, who closely follows internal elections in Frelimo and other parties, understands that the most important thing now is leadership capacity.

“Basically, it has to be a person with leadership skills. You don’t need to have a PhD. You don’t need to hold many university degrees, as many people think. In fact, we have Lula da Silva, who, despite the controversies that surrounded him, seems to me to be someone who did a lot for his country,” Lima comments.

After Frelimo on Friday, on Saturday, the MDM National Council meeting will be held in the city of Beira, considered its stronghold. The party’s candidate for the Ponta Vermelha race should also emerge from the meeting. However, in the so-called ‘Rooster’ party, no member has so far shown willingness to run for the prize. Will there be surprises?

“I don’t think there will be many surprises. It will be a big surprise if President Lutero Simango is not the MDM candidate, but this does not rule out the possibility of there being other candidates (…),”Lima thinks.

Alfazema agrees, also believing that anything is possible. “It seems that the president of the party, Lutero (Simango), will, for the first time, run for president. But, in politics, anything is possible. It will not be strange if, at the last minute, the MDM chooses to bring in someone who has a different profile (…)”.

As for Renamo, it will still be necessary to wait at least two weeks to know whether the party will, in fact, enter the race for Ponta Vermelha.

Source: Carta de Moçambique