The Mozambican parliament on Wednesday approved the creation of 12 new municipalities, bringing the total to 65, as municipal elections, scheduled for 2023, approach.
"I declare the bill creating the local authorities approved in general terms. Let it be recorded that it was by consensus", declared Esperança Bias, president of the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique.
The new municipalities are spread across all Mozambican provinces.
For the bench of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), the parliamentary majority, the approval of the municipalities shows the Government's commitment to the "consolidation of decentralisation", ensuring that the local population takes part in "decision-making on matters of interest to them".
On the opposition side, the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) asks the Government to clarify and properly demarcate the boundaries of each municipality, while the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM) appeals to Mozambicans to "register en masse" so that they prepare for the "electoral clash in October", a month of "revolutions, reforms and change".
"We promise to publicise and clarify what the boundaries are of the 12 municipalities we have brought as a proposal", assured Helena Kida, Mozambique's Minister of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs.
The new municipalities will require a reorganisation of the programme of the National Elections Commission (CNE), which is currently preparing for the 2023 municipal elections, followed by general elections in 2024 (presidential, legislative, provincial and the first district elections).
