Mozambique local elections: Ruling FRELIMO party weaker than ever

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00:00 The Frilimo party has governed Mozambique since independence in 1975, but the country

00:07 is heading into local elections on October 11th weaker than ever.

00:13 Frilimo is also at a juncture of an institutional failure as a party.

00:22 There are also allegations of corruption.

00:37 President Philippe Nayusi has been caught up in the so-called 2013 hidden debt case.

00:43 He was the Minister of Defence when over $2 billion were unlawfully borrowed to buy boats

00:49 at an inflated price.

00:51 The government has since agreed to recover more than $500 million from a Swiss bank.

00:57 It will rescue the image of the government in the sense that the people will no longer

01:07 look at the government of Mozambique with suspicious eyes.

01:12 Security concerns have also rocked the country with the fallout from an Islamic insurgency

01:17 in the northern regions in 2017.

01:20 African military forces helped stabilise the situation and Maputo insists that this week's

01:25 election will go ahead in affected regions.

01:29 From the assessment we did with the authorities, around 68% of the population has returned.

01:35 Municipal elections are expected to proceed peacefully after all the Ranaumu military

01:39 camps were closed down in June.

01:42 The government has dismantled all the camps of the former rebel movement through its disarmament

01:47 process.

01:48 However, electoral tensions remain high between Ranaumu and the ruling party.

01:54 The fact that wealth is not being evenly distributed and systematic electoral fraud, this is what

02:00 explains that sometimes we don't have peace.

02:02 This year's municipal elections pose as a credibility test for FRELIMO before the country's

02:07 general elections take place next year.

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