Frelimo discussing decentralization

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Frelimo discussing decentralization

5:21 CAT | 14 Jun 2016

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An internal Frelimo group, including former ministers Oscar Monteiro, Alfredo Gamito, Teodato Hunguana, Alcinda Abreu and Lucas Chomera, is discussing decentralization and ways to respond to Renamo’s demand for elected provincial governments. O Pais (9 June) reports that the team met with President Filipe Nyusi who told them they had the blessing of the Frelimo Central Committee.

Afonso Dhlakama has demanded the right to name governors in the provinces where he claims he won the most votes last year, and the existence of the team shows that Frelimo will at least partly concede on this in Dhlakama-Nyusi talks.

Governors have very wide ranging but ill-defined powers over their provinces. The Frelimo team is looking at how to limit and more clearly define those powers, to allow for the possibility of opposition governors (just as there are now four opposition mayors).

The constitution allows city mayors to be elected, but specifies that governors are named by the president, and changing that would require a referendum. Frelimo has already agreed work-arounds for similar problems – for example the President is required to name the election date, so the electoral law says that parliament gives the President a two week window during the dry season, and the President chooses the date in that period. As elections are traditionally on Wednesday, he really only has to choose between two days.

A common system of nominations in Mozambique, for example for university rector, is that the president is given a short list of three and chooses one. This was proposed in 2000 to allow Dhlakama to nominate some governors, but he turned it down. There is now reason to think he would accept a similar proposal. An alternative would be one or three nominations from the provincial assembly (several of which have opposition majorities).

By: Joseph Hanlon

Source: News Reports & Clippings