Autonomous provinces to be voted soon in Mozambican Parliament

Mozambique’s former rebel movement-turned main opposition Renamo has expressed confidence that its bill seeking to establish “provincial municipalities” will be debated by the country’s parliament later this month, APA can report. Renamo spokesperson Antonio Muchanga told a media conference on Wednesday that the bill in question has already been tabled with the Commission on Constitutional Affairs, Human Rights and Legality, and the Commission on Public Administration.Everything is being done to ensure that the bill will be discussed in the two commissions before the end of April, said Muchanga, who is the rapporteur of the Commission on Public Administration.The bill seeks to establish immediately provincial municipalities in the six central and northern provinces which Renamo claims to have won in the 15 October general elections Sofala, Manica, Zambezia, Tete, Nampula and Niassa.In the first five of these, Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama did indeed poll more votes in the presidential election, but only in Sofala and Zambezia did Renamo win the parliamentary election.As for Niassa, the ruling Frelimo Party won convincingly in both the presidential and parliamentary contests.However, discussing the bill by the commission gives no guarantee of an early debate in the Assembly plenary.The commissions must first write and submit their written opinions on the bill, and there is also pressure for a public debate prior to taking a vote on such a far-reaching change to the Mozambican system of governance.Dhlakama has made no secret of his intention to use the bill to seize power in the six provinces.He would appoint the chairperson of the provincial council who would wield executive power.Renamo would then appoint all the district administrators and heads of administrative posts.
Municipalities never divided the country, he said pointing out that the Renamo bill was no different from the bill presented by Frelimo in the 1990s which created city and town municipalities.Renamo and its leader Dhlakama lost last October’s general poll won by Frelimo and its 55-year presidential candidate Filipe Nyusi.It was the fifth such vote since the end of the 1975-1992 civil war fought between Frelimo and Renamo following the end of Portuguese colonial rule.Dhlakama rejected tthe poll results as fraudulent and threatened to divide the country into two and rule in the provinces where he won more votes before offering a parallel government as an option.