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File photo / Mahamudo Amurane
The mayor of the northern Mozambican city of Nampula, Mahamudo Amurane, has promised to “give a lesson” to the MDM (Mozambique Democratic Movement) in the 2018 municipal elections.
Amurane was elected mayor in 2013 on the MDM ticket, and he was appointed a member of the MDM Political Commission. But a huge rift has developed between Amurane and the rest of the MDM leadership, and particular the party’s president Daviz Simango.
In an interview published in Friday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Mediafax”, Amurane promised that he would stand for a second term as mayor next year, possibly as an independent, possibly associated with some other group, through he did not say what that group might be. He has thus definitively rejected the possibility of mending his fences with the MDM and running as the MDM candidate.
He said his participation in the election was crucial to prevent what he called “the thieves” of the MDM from continuing to steal public money.
“They don’t want Amurane, because Amurane never accepted to take money from the state coffers and deliver it to the party”, he declared. “They’re deceiving themselves. I’m going to stand to prevent these bandits from raiding the people’s money. I’m not going to allow it”.
Amurane said that he is no longer a member of the MDM. He added he had decided that he would not be standing for the MDM, when the party announced, in October last year, that it already had potential candidates for the 2018 municipal elections. Nonetheless, he seemed to have left the door open for a reconciliation – on the condition that Simango apologised publicly to him.
That was an impossible condition, and so now the split is definitive. “Mediafax” pressed Amurane to reveal whether he would be standing as an independent or as the candidate for some other group or party.
“You will know at the right moment”, he replied. “The only certainty I can give you is that I will be a candidate but not for the MDM.”
He declared that he has no doubt he will win the mayoral election, on the basis of the work that he has done for the citizens of Nampula in his first term as Mayor.
“Amurane will win”, he predicted. “I shall sweep away the bandits who want to use the people’s money. Victory is certain”.
He invited the journalist to come to Nampula and see what he had achieved. “The people of Nampula are my witnesses”, Amurane declared. “I shall win to continue developing the Nampula municipality”.
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