Mozambique Elections: Trial begins for 17 young people detained in connection with Renamo march in ...
In file CoM
The shock cancellation of the special parliament session scheduled for Thursday and Friday, 21-22 June, threatens the 10 October municipal elections, which cannot take place without urgent new legislation. Over the weekend, both Frelimo and Renamo made belligerent statements, but hidden in those statements was an acceptance that a small agreement now on demilitarisation would be enough to save the elections.
Constitutional amendments on decentralisation and election of mayors and governors were approved in May and the 21-22 June special parliament session was scheduled to approve the related electoral and municipal law changes. Without warning and with members of parliament already returning to Maputo, on Wednesday 20 June Frelimo told the parliament permanent commission that there could not be fair elections on 10 October if Renamo still had an armed wing, so it would not allow a vote on law changes without agreement on full demilitarization by 10 October.
Over the weekend, more flexibility and optimism was being shown. Both Frelimo and Renamo are going ahead with party meetings to select candidates. And the head of the Frelimo parliamentary bench, Margarida Talapa, said the special parliament session could be held “if Renamo takes concrete steps toward disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of its armed men.” (O Pais 25 June)
And in a statement Friday the head of the Renamo bench, Ivone Soares, said that “the dialogue over military questions is moving positively and guarantees for the reintegration and integration of our military brothers in the armed forces, police and security services (SISE) will be concretised by October.” http://bit.ly/2KkvgG5
But the crisis must be resolved in the next month. Candidates lists for municipal assemblies must be submitted in July. The law is still being debated, and a key question is unresolved: Can the head of a list (and thus the candidate for mayor) come from outside the municipality? This makes it hard for parties to set up their lists.
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