Africa-Press – Mozambique. The president of the Podemos party, Albino Forquilha, has complained that he has not yet been granted the benefits associated with being the official opposition leader in Mozambique — a role he holds as leader of the second-largest party represented in the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic.
“It’s taking a long time, yes. This is required by law,” said Forquilha, leader of the Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), speaking to reporters in Nampula after the party’s internal elections in the northern province, held on Saturday.
At issue is the state support owed to the opposition leader — that is, the leader of the second-largest party in the legislative elections — including remuneration, communication and representation expenses, an office with support staff, transportation, security, medical assistance, and other benefits.
“It’s considered that I took office on the day the Assembly of the Republic was sworn in. This means the law should have been implemented in the following weeks. This is required by law — it is not a request,” Forquilha criticized.
Registered in May 2019, Podemos is composed of dissidents from the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), and saw its popularity rise after announcing its support for Venâncio Mondlane’s presidential candidacy on August 21, 2024.
The Podemos political agreement with Venâncio Mondlane came shortly after Mondlane’s supporting coalition (CAD) was rejected by the Constitutional Council due to “irregularities.”
In the October 9 elections, Podemos — which had never before elected a member of parliament — became the largest opposition party in Mozambique, winning 43 seats and overtaking the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), which had held that status since the country’s first multiparty elections in 1994. Renamo’s parliamentary representation dropped from 60 to 28 seats.
Frelimo maintained its majority, with 171 deputies elected across 250 seats, all sworn in on January 13 of this year for the current legislative term.
In February, Venâncio Mondlane and Podemos announced the end of their political relationship, following accusations that the party had tampered with the agreement between the two. Mondlane, who continues to reject the 2024 election results, has since formed his own party — the Alliance for a Free and Autonomous Mozambique (Anamola) — launched earlier this month.
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