ESARP

State of democracy

The transition in 1992 from a violent power struggle between Frelimo and Renamo to a non-violent democratic struggle has had a profound impact on Mozambique. After the peace agreement both parties have shown willingness to ensure peace, but Frelimo as the ruling party and Renamo in opposition continue to perceive each other with great distrust.

The cooperation between opposition parties also requires attention. Although Renamo and the six smaller parties are united in the Electoral Union, their coalition is weak. Another challenge is to increase the participation of the population in the political process. Voter turnout at general elections is decreasing and the gap between the rural and urban areas seems to be widening.
 

Electoral reform

The reform of four electoral laws was a major improvement in the political system. The - controversial - abolition of the parliamentary threshold of 5% for political parties will enable more parties to enter parliament, though with a limited number of seats. It will stimulate the six smaller parties in the Electoral Union coalition with Renamo, to try to win seats independently or in cooperation with the other (extra-parliamentary) parties.

The new, more diverse composition of the National Electoral Commission (NCE) represents another step forward for democracy in Mozambique. The Commission, originally consisted of Frelimo (8) and Renamo-EU (7), now consists of 13 members with a majority share (8) representing civil society, next to Frelimo (3) and Renamo (2).
 

Challenges

For a new phase in consolidating democracy Frelimo’s main challenge is to focus on separation between the party and the State. This means offering public service employment opportunities on the basis of merit, not party affiliation, as well as fighting corruption. Frelimo could also focus on improving the impartiality and professionality of the management of the election process.

Renamo-EU (Electoral Union) remains a strong presence in parliament with 90 seats, while Frelimo holds 160 seats. However, Renamo’s overall electoral support has gradually decreased during the last elections. The party has not succeeded in building up an effective organization with explicit policies on Mozambique’s national issues.

Civil society
The relations between political parties and civil society organizations are somewhat mixed. Some organizations are perceived to be too close to Frelimo and the government. NIMD partner organizations play a prominent role in politics in the sense that they stimulate political debate and promote the role of women in politics.

NIMD Programme

Strengthening the political parties
In 2007 Frelimo, Renamo and the network of extra-parliamentary opposition parties (Centre for the Promotion of Multiparty Democracy in Mozambique, CPDM) focused on preparing for the upcoming provincial elections. Frelimo organized a training for around 600 spokespersons at the provincial and district levels of the party, in the northern, southern and central regions.

Renamo decided to implement a ‘train-the-trainers’ programme for Renamo district members, which pertained to the monitoring of the electoral processes. Renamo expects this approach to improve the party’s electoral outcomes and reduce the risk of unjustified contestation and electoral fraud accusations.

At the beginning of 2007 CPDM was in an internal crisis, with member parties trying to exclude others, but at the end of the year three factions were grouped around the three largest parties.

With 35% female parliamentarians and a female Prime Minister, Mozambique has one of the most gender-balanced political systems in the world. The challenge is to empower and improve the expertise and skills of female politicians. In early 2007 NIMD’s partner organization Muleide (Women for Law and Development) organized training on gender issues for 30 women and some men from 10 different parties.

Relations between political parties and civil society
As part of NIMD’s objective to enhance a culture of dialogue in the political system, NIMD supported its partner Amode (Mozambican Association for the Development of Democracy) to establish Centres for Public Debate in various regions. These centres are to increase political debate at the grassroots level, amongst Frelimo, Renamo, civil society and the media. Successful public debates were organized in the northern region and similar debates are currently implemented in the central region.

Multiparty cooperation

Although Frelimo, Renamo and extra-parliamentary opposition parties regularly meet in and outside parliament, these encounters do not resolve the existing mistrust and animosity between the two largest parties. Therefor, NIMD has continued its efforts to create a dialogue platform between the political parties and discussed the issue with high-level members of the various parties.

Media training for Frelimo

In order to enhance the party’s capacity building, Frelimo organized a party spokesperson training course in October. The goal was to improve the party’s image at the local level and to teach party’s cadres to effectively use the media to promote party performance, municipal assembly candidates and government achievements. As it was a ‘train-the-trainers’ programme: the participants will organize similar trainings at the local and district levels.

Attendance at the seminar in Beira was remarkably high: 60 people participated, including 8 women. The training programme was taught by journalists, senior party members and parliamentarians. The course dealt with theories and requirements of spokespersons, journalism and media law. Practicalities were also discussed and trained, such as expected media opportunities, basic journalism techniques and use of local languages. Finally, the course developed scenarios based on subjects likely to be explored by the opposition parties during the electoral campaign.