Africa-Press – Mozambique. Distrust holds sway in the Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos). Alberto Ferreira, candidate for secretary general of the second largest opposition party in Mozambique, has filed an injunction in court to prevent the holding of the second round of internal elections.
Ferreira claims that a repeat of the process would be “irregular”, according to the party’s statutes.
Suspicions are of rigging and fraud in the first round. In an interview with DW, Alberto Ferreira says he has his suspicions, but prefers not to name names. Even so, he denounces irregularities allegedly committed by the current Podemos secretary general, Sebastião Mussanhane.
Meanwhile, this Monday (02-06), the president of Podemos asked for respect for the party’s bodies.
“The members must respect the decisions that are made within the body. The decisions that were taken there were those that [say that] we have to go to the second round, so we have to respect it,” Albino Forquilha declared in Maputo.
DW Africa: You filed an injunction. Have the internal solutions in Podemos for this crisis been exhausted?
Alberto Ferreira (AF): We submitted this injunction to the Supervisory Board, which is the legal body responsible for monitoring the laws and the legal framework. The holding of a second round was in sight, but we thought it would be irregular and would go against the party’s statutes. It is also true that Podemos, even though it is a new party, is not perfect.
DW Africa: You submitted an appeal to the party’s Supervisory Board?
AF: Yes, the party’s. We submitted it and gave them about three days to respond and we did not receive a response within that time. However, the secretary general made a statement that went against the rules and so what we thought was: If the secretary general is not in our favour, we will look for a neutral entity that could say, effectively, whether or not we are right. We filed the injunction in silence [without announcement], but [the news] ended up reaching the television and radio stations.
DW Africa: Is Podemos a party that is guided by transparency and integrity?
AF: Yes, I believe it is guided by integrity. There has never been any doubt about that. It is possible that someone is not transparent, but we cannot allow the whole to be replaced by the parts. As a whole, the party is quite cohesive, it is firm and it is doing quite well. There has never been any doubt.
DW Africa: You say that even taking into account that you resorted to a neutral body with your injunction? Doesn’t that reveal some lack of transparency or lack of integrity in the party?
AF: No, not in my opinion, not necessarily. But it is possible that someone within the party may not have this transparency. Someone in the party, who may be the secretary general or someone interested in another person who hopes that he or she can be its leader. I saw, for example, that the secretary general himself raised his hand during the vote in support of others. But that does not mean the party.
What I refuse is for him to openly support another person. Leaders should not immediately show themselves in favour of a person. Because any secretary general who is elected is elected secretary general by everyone and not by a group.
DW Africa: If your request is denied, what would be the next step?
AF: What I am doing is helping the party think about justice, that’s all. I am under the leadership of the party. The final decision is up to the party. If the party, in its internal bodies, says ‘we don’t want you’, I will not go anywhere else. But I wanted to show that justice prevails at all times and in all bodies. I will not go to war.
DW Africa: Who would have an interest in rigging the elections? Are there any internal issues? Is there any mistrust?
AF: Mistrust is natural. Yes, it exists, but I prefer not to mention names because we are all brothers and, even as brothers, not everyone will agree.
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