Tiny parties form tiny coalition – Mozambique

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Tiny parties form tiny coalition – Mozambique

7:21 CAT | 06 Apr 2017

Mhoje_maputoaerialview_photo_jpg-825x510

File photo / A view of Maputo

Three tiny extra-parliamentary Mozambican political parties announced on Wednesday that they are forming a coalition to contest the forthcoming municipal elections (in 2018) and presidential and parliamentary elections (in 2019).

The Independent Party of Mozambique (PIMO), the National Renewal Party (PARENA) and the Labour Party (PT) said that their coalition will be known as “E-POVO”, standing for “Esperanca – Povo” (“Hope – People”).

The leaders of the three parties, Yaqub Sibindy of PIMO, Andre Balate of PARENA, and Miguel Mabote of PT, have formed a joint coordination, with Sibindy as the first coordinator.

These are three of a large group of registered political parties who are completely invisible between elections. They have few members, and few votes. They have no offices, no publications and no websites. PIMO does, however, have a Facebook page, but it has not been updated since 2013. Despite its name, the PT has no connection with Mozambique’s organized labour movement.

None of the three parties has ever won a seat in parliament. Their results in the 2014 parliamentary elections were vanishingly small – PARENA took 0.17 per cent of the total vote, PIMO 0.1 per cent and PT 0.07 per cent.

Such irrelevant groups continue to survive simply because any party that runs candidates in national elections receives money from the public purse.

Source: AIM