New election commission named
as Renamo continues its boycott

Frelimo nominated its members of the National Elections Commission at a special session of parliament on 26 July. Although Renamo refused to name its members, the election commission will be able to operate and a by-election in Moatize can go ahead.

Both Renamo and Frelimo did name members to a 15-member ad hoc parliamentary commission to consider revisions of the election laws. It is chaired by Alfredo Gamito, who was minister of state administration until the elections last December. The commission will make its first report to the next session of parliament (AR, Assembleia da República) in October.

The Technical Secretariat for Election Administration (STAE, Secretariado Técnico de Administração Eleitoral) is a permanent body, but a new National Elections Commission (CNE, Comissão Nacional de Eleições) must be named within 60 days of the opening of parliament by the parties in the newly elected parliament. They failed to do so during the first session, which ended on 5 May, but the two parliamentary parties -- Frelimo and the coalition Renamo Electoral Union (Renamo UE, Renamo - União Eleitoral) -- agreed to do so at a special session of parliament on 26 July.

Renamo president Afonso Dhlakama overrode that decision, saying he was only willing to allow Renamo to talk about changing the election law and would not participate in any administration of the old law. So Renamo UE named members to the ad hoc commission, but not to the CNE.

Frelimo re-appointed all five of its eligible members of the previous CNE:

• Jamisse Taímo (who will again be named president), a Methodist pastor and rector of the Higher Foreign Relations Institute (ISRI);
• António Muacoricu, chair of the Mosagrius development company;
• António Nombora, a jurist who will now be the only member who was on the two previous CNEs;
• Percila Sitói, a department head in the Ministry of Finance and Planning; and
• Machatine Munguambe, a former dean of the law school at Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM).

The other three members now have government posts, and are replaced by:

• Filipe Manjate, former vice-minister of Justice and before that vice-minister of Social Action;
• Isidora Faztudo, former vice-minister of Agriculture and Fishing; and
• José Grachane, a member of the National Gambling Inspectorate (Inspecção Nacional de Jogos).

The government will now appoint 2 members of the CNE. Renamo UE has a right to appoint 7 members, but did not do so. The law establishing the CNE (4/99) sets no procedural rules, so the CNE can function without Renamo members.