Mozambique: Election of PODEMOS secretary-general annulled – AIM | Watch

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Mozambique: Election of PODEMOS secretary-general annulled – AIM | Watch

4:33 CAT | 26 May 2025

Screens grab: O Destaque

The leadership of PODEMOS (Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique) – which is now the country’s largest opposition party with 43 seats in parliament – has decided to annul the internal elections intended to choose the secretary-general of the party, following confusion among party members.

The annulment of the election follows a video that went viral on social media, in which the academic Alberto Ferreira, who was the leading candidate in the election, expressed his discontentment about how the election took place. He obtained 37 per cent of the votes in the first round of the election, but fell short of the 50 per cent required for an absolute majority.

While leaving the ceremony, visibly upset by the situation, Ferreira told reporters that “yes, I’m withdrawing my candidacy.” He said he was refusing to stand in the second round “because I obtained a majority in the first round.”

In the previous parliament, Ferreira was a deputy representing the former rebel movement Renamo. Recently, he claimed that he was never a member of Renamo but was one of the founder members of PODEMOS.

With 37.37 per cent of the vote Ferreira beat three other candidates, namely Stélio António (28.28 per cent), Caetano Mussacaze (27.27 per cent) and Germano Lino (0.6 per cent). The winning candidate will replace Sebastião Mussanhane, who is also head of the PODEMOS parliamentary group.

Ferreira was also chosen as deputy chair of the Technical Commission set up to implement the “Political Commitment to an Inclusive National Dialogue”, a document signed between Mozambican President Daniel Chapo and representatives of ten political parties on 5 March. The Commission is supposed to work on such matters as amendments to the Mozambican constitution, rewriting the electoral legislation, and decentralization.

Uma confusão marcou, ontem, a eleição do secretariado geral do Podemos. Na sequência, foi anulada a votação que dava vantagem a Alberto Ferreira na corrida ao cargo de secretário-geral.#podemos #secretariogeral #mocambique #stvnoticias #gruposoico https://t.co/3GxkwFtECZ pic.twitter.com/7TN5qtpf9d

— stvnoticias (@stvnoticias_mz) May 26, 2025