Roundup: Mozambican opposition threatens to form secessionist republic

The leader of Mozambique's main opposition party Renamo, Afonso Dhlakama, said he is to set up a secessionist "Republic of Central and Northern Mozambique."

The threat is in protest against the results of last October's general elections. Dhlakama does not recognize the results which give victory to the ruling Frelimo party's presidential candidate, Filipe Nyusi, with 57 percent of the votes.

During a rally in the central port city of Beira over the weekend, Dhlakama claimed that the elections were fraudulent in favor of the Frelimo, an accusation rejected by the Maputo administration.

There were literally thousands of Renamo appointees at all levels of the electoral apparatus, from the polling station staff, right up to the National Elections Commission (CNE).

The Renamo leader told the audience that his party will form the provincial governments in the six provinces and he will become "President of the Republic of Central and Northern Mozambique."

However, Dhlakama claimed at the same time that he does not want to divide the country, or give independence to the central and northern regions.

He said it was a proposal for "political and economic autonomy, " and guaranteed that Mozambicans will not need passports to travel between his "Republic" and the rest of the country.

The Renamo leader, who is currently on live at his home village of Mangude, in Chibabava district of Sofala, dismissed claims that his proposal flagrantly violates the Mozambican Constitution.

"In no part of the world are there constitutions that cannot be amended. There are also democracies with autonomous provinces," he said.

The Mozambican Constitution does indeed contain provisions for its own amendment. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority in the country's parliament, the Assembly of the Republic.

But observers said Renamo cannot possibly have such a majority because it only holds 89 of the 250 seats in the new Assembly. On Monday, Renamo boycotted parliamentary sittings altogether.

The Constitution also states that the unitary nature of the Mozambican state must be respected in any constitutional amendment. The only way to override that would be through a nationwide referendum.

Since the publication of the first provisional results of the elections, Dhlakama rejected them and said he would negotiate with the government to form a government of national unity, an idea rejected by Frelimo, in power since independence.

Later on, Dhlakama demanded the formation of a "caretaker government" to be run by Renamo and Frelimo. Renamo would appoint its ministers and governors, and Frelimo with its own ministers and governors.

Dhlakama wants to see the provinces where he and his party won to be in his hands, an idea described by the government as "unconstitutional."

Dhlakama refused to give to reporters in Beira any date for proclaiming his new republic.

After Renamo's defeat in the 2008 municipal elections, Dhlakama had promised to set up parallel municipal administrations. Not a single such Renamo municipal administration came into existence. Endi