Despite a demonstration by the Renamo parliamentary group, the Frelimo majority in parliament passed an amendment to the Electoral Law on Wednesday, 29 March. The amendment reduces the deadline for fixing the date of next year’s general elections from 18 to 15 months. Renamo protested inside the parliament building, accusing the Frelimo leadership of political bias and of unilaterally approving the amendment, and then walked out.
According to Renamo, Frelimo presented a bill this morning that was accepted, whereas a similar bill submitted by Renamo in February was promptly rejected by Frelimo members of the parliamentary Standing Commission. “We submitted a draft bill here which Frelimo rejected in this House [in February]; unfortunately it was thrown out [by Frelimo]. Today, we are facing a bill from one parliamentary group, which once again intends to violate democratic principles. So what are the criteria? The other parliamentary group brings the same bill and it must be debated,” said Viana Magalhães, head of the Renamo group.
Renamo warns that the country faces a risk of returning to dictatorship and accuses Frelimo of treating itself as above the law, the constitution, and parliamentary standing orders. The Renamo bill aimed to establish the structure for district elections next year, as required by earlier constitutional amendments agreed with the late Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama. In contrast, the Frelimo amendment merely delays setting the date for the October general elections.
The three‑week delay would give Frelimo more time until the constitution allows it to amend the law to eliminate district elections without opposition votes. Currently, Frelimo would need three‑quarters of the deputies—a threshold it cannot reach without opposition support. However, once five years have passed since the previous constitutional amendments took effect (as of 12 June 2023), Frelimo could amend the constitution with a two‑thirds majority, bypassing the need for opposition votes (see Bulletin 40 for details). The MDM argues that attempting to postpone the elections constitutes a serious violation of the constitution.
Frelimo’s spokesperson, Feliz Silva, responded that the Renamo demonstration is an exercise in democracy and that Frelimo remains calm. “Our desire was not to amend the Constitution on our own,” Silva said.
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