Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo party Political Commission has apparently told President Filipe Nyusi to forget about a possible third term, sources told Mozambique Insights.
Frelimo’s Political Commission is the 19-member body that governs the party from one session of the Central Committee to another, which is chaired by the sitting president, who is supposedly first among equals.
There have been concerns that Nyusi is hell-bent into amending the Constitution to secure a third term, especially following a move by Frelimo that saw it pass a bill reducing the deadline for announcing the general elections from 18 to 15 months, thus giving it time to after 12 June change the elections without counting on opposition votes.
The sources said that the Political Commission told Nyusi that Frelimo will only countenance constitutional an amendment’s to the clause that set district elections for 2024 and beefing up the Administrative Court’s powers to monitor the activities of the extractive industries.
Comment
Over two-thirds of the Political Commission members are aged over 60 and have held powerful positions over the course of their lives both as party cadres and ministers. So, it would not be beyond the realm of possibility for them to tame his unbridled ambition to secure a third term.
Furthermore, in recent days, some Frelimo stalwarts have expressed concerns at the direction the party is moving, especially with regards to moves towards authoritarianism, which could mean that moves are afoot to ensure that this does not happen, as it is feared it could create political instability.
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