MAPUTO — The chairperson of the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, Veronica Macamo, has called an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly for June 21 and 22 with the sole purpose of amending the legislation governing municipal elections.
This results from the constitutional amendments approved unanimously by the Assembly in late May on decentralisation achieved in negotiations between the government and the main opposition party, the former rebel movement, Renamo.
Contacts between President Filipe Nyusi and the late leader of Renamo, Afonso Dhlakama, led to the consensus being reached.
The constitutional amendments abolish the direct election of mayors. In the four sets of municipal elections held to date, the voters have always received two ballot papers, one for the mayor and one for the municipal assembly.
Under the constitutional amendments, there will now just be one ballot paper, for the municipal assembly with the the head of the list proposed by the political party, coalition or independent citizens’ group that wins the majority of votes automatically becoming the mayor. Thus voters will effectively be voting for the members of the assembly and the mayor at the same time.
The next municipal elections are scheduled for Oct 10, and it is thus urgent to bring the electoral law for municipalities into line with the constitutional amendments.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK