Africa-Press – Mozambique. As expected, Lutero Simango, the head of the parliamentary group of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), has announced that he is running for the presidency of the party.
He is the brother of the founder and first president of the MDM, Daviz Simango, who died of illness in February.
Simango submitted his candidacy just a day before the deadline. The election of the new MDM leader will take place at an MDM congress in Beira in early December.
Simango said he is entering the race for the party leadership focused on the unity, cohesion and political stability of the MDM. Cited by the independent television station STV, he said he wants a debate centred on ideas, instead of discussing individuals.
Simango faces two rivals for the post – the MDM General Secretary, Jose Domingos, and a prominent MDM parliamentary deputy, Silverio Ronguane. Of the three, Simango is far and away the best known. Leading the MDM in parliament for more than a decade has given him a profile that his rivals cannot hope to match.
