Mozambique: CNE registers 21 parties and coalitions

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Mozambique: CNE registers 21 parties and coalitions

7:52 CAT | 03 Jul 2018

DW (File photo)

Mozambique’s National Elections Commission (CNE) has registered 21 parties and coalitions who have expressed an interest in taking part in the municipal elections scheduled for 10 October.

Friday was the deadline for registration, and now the parties must choose their candidates for the 53 municipal assemblies. The head of the list of whichever party wins a majority of votes in an assembly election will automatically become the mayor.

Of the 21who registered very few, outside of the three parties represented in parliament, have the slightest chance of winning any seats.

Only the three parliamentary parties – the ruling Frelimo Party, the Renamo rebels, and the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) – have the strength to stand lists in all 53 municipalities.

The other parties and coalitions who registered are:

PAHUMO (Mozambique Humanitarian Party), which currently holds one seat in the Nampula Municipal Assembly;

AMUSI (Acton of the United Movement for Integral Salvation), headed by Mario Albino, a former Nampula provincial delegate of the MDM. He won 4.27 per cent in the Nampula mayoral by-election held earlier this year.

PPPM (Party for the Progress of the Mozambican People). This party once held parliamentary seats, when it was a member of the Renamo-Electoral Union coalition (between 2000 and 2009). When Renamo ditched its coalition parties in the 2009 election, it faded into obscurity.

PANAMO (National Party of Mozambique). This was part of the Democratic Union (UD) coalition which, thanks to a lucky position on the ballot paper, won nine seats in the 1994 general election, only to lose them all in 1999. Its leader, Marcos Juma, was found guilty of attempted counterfeiting of currency in 2002, and given a two year suspended sentence.

SOL (Social Liberal Party), which won 0.46 per cent of the vote in the 2004 general elections, falling to 0.13 per cent in 2014.

MONARUMO (National Movement for the Recovery of Mozambique). Won 0.16 per cent of the vote in the 2014 general election.

MPD (Patriotic Movement for Democracy). Won 0.13 per cent of the vote in 2014.

PPD (People’s Democratic Party). Won just 464 votes (0.1 per cent) in the entire country in 2014.

PJDM (Party of Democratic Justice of Mozambique). Previously unknown.

PDM (Party of the Development of Mozambique). Previously unknown.

There are also three coalitions:

E-POVO (Hope of the people). Consisting of 10 tiny parties.

UE (Electoral Union). Formed by eight parties

CAD (Democratic Alliance Coalition). Formed by five parties.

There may seem to be a large number of political parties in Mozambique. But the minor parties have few members, few votes, no publications and no websites. They only appear at election periods, usually in order to obtain money from the state – and are bitterly disappointed that no subsidies are available for municipal election campaigns.

The CNE will now analyse the legality of the names, symbols and acronyms of all the parties, and will demand changes if any party has a name or symbol that is too similar to those of other political formations.

Source: AIM