MEDIATORS MAKE PROPOSAL ON PROVINCIAL GOVERNORS

The mediating team in the Joint Commission between the Mozambican government and the Renamo rebels on Tuesday presented a proposal on the appointment of governors for the six central and northern provinces where Renamo claims that it won the October 2014 elections.

The coordinator of the mediating team, the Italian Mario Raffaelli, told reporters after a meeting of the Commission that was much shorter than usual (about 40 minutes) “Today we talked about governors. As mediators we thought it better to advance with the problem of governors, because decentralization is quicker (than the other items on the agenda)”.But he gave no details of the mediators’ proposal. He said the government and Renamo delegations had promised to study the proposal and give their reactions on Wednesday.Renamo has demanded the right to govern Sofala, Manica, Tete, Zambezia, Nampula and Niassa provinces, on the grounds that it won the elections in these parts of the country. This claim is, however, untrue,

The results, announced by the National Elections Commission (CNE), and confirmed by the Constitutional Council, show that Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama came top of the presidential poll in Sofala, Manica, Tete, Zambezia and Nampula. But Renamo only won the parliamentary elections in two provinces (Sofala and Zambezia). As for the third election, for provincial assemblies, Renamo won a majority of seats in three provinces (Sofala, Zambezia and Tete). Renamo’s claim of victory in Niassa is entirely false, since the ruling Frelimo Party won all three elections there.The decision by the mediators to return to the question of governors came as something of a surprise, since it had been assumed that the Commission would continue to discuss military matters, particularly the inclusion of members of the Renamo militia in the armed forces and the police.It is possible that this discussion will continue at Wednesday’s meeting.The purpose of the Joint Commission was to prepare a meeting between President Filipe Nyusi and Dhlakama – but there is still no sign that such a meeting will take place in the near future. Dhlakama shows no interest in coming to Maputo, and remains in his bush headquarters in the central district of Gorongosa. So far Renamo has refused to allow the opening of a demilitarized corridor so that the mediators can reach the Gorongosa camp and speak face to face with Dhlakama.