VZCZCXRO2094
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHTO #1497/01 3211142
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171142Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6427
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP  0122

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 001497 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
AF/S FOR HTREGER 
USAID FOR AA/AFR AND AFR/SA 
MCC FOR SGAULL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KCOR PGOV PHUM MZ
SUBJECT: FRELIMO CONGRESS STRENGTHENS GUEBUZA'S MANDATE, 
SHOWS MORE DOMINANT PARTY 
 
MAPUTO 00001497  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Reftel: 06 Maputo 1306 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified - Handle Accordingly 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Mozambique's ruling FRELIMO Party held its 
9th Party Congress from November 10-14 in Quelimane, the 
capital of Zambezia Province. The congress was characterized 
by a number of `firsts:' the first congress held outside of 
Maputo since independence, the first congress to be open to 
all segments of the population (including the media and even 
a few members of the opposition), and the first congress to 
overtly address the growing HIV/AIDS problem. The elections 
to leadership positions included significant numbers of 
youth and women and achieved a symbolic balance between 
supporters of former President Joaquim Chissano and 
President Guebuza. Nevertheless, the congress strengthened 
Guebuza's role within the party and showcased FRELIMO's 
increasing dominance of political activity.  End Summary. 
 
//BACKGROUND// 
 
¶2. (U) FRELIMO held its 9th Party Congress from November 10- 
14 in Quelimane, the first time since independence that its 
congress had been held outside Maputo. The choice of 
Quelimane is also politically significant, since Zambezia 
generally is regarded as a RENAMO stronghold. The move is 
seen as an attempt to portray FRELIMO as a more universal 
party that is able to hold its congress anywhere in the 
country. As noted in reftel, the 9th Party Congress was 
moved up a year to 2006, ostensibly to provide additional 
time for FRELIMO to prepare for the 2009 general elections, 
but also to plainly demonstrate to citizens the national 
importance of the party and to consolidate Guebuza's power 
base. In the months leading up to the congress, senior party 
officials were involved in all stages of preparations, 
including the recertifying of party rolls, touring provinces 
to gain a sense of regional concerns, as well as logistical 
groundwork. 
 
//CORRUPTION AND HIV/AIDS TAKE CENTER STAGE// 
 
¶3. (U) Continuing one of his major campaign pledges, 
President Guebuza used the congress to address corruption, 
particularly the causes and the government's responsibility 
in managing corruption. Guebuza lamented the lack of 
accountability, weak supervision mechanisms, the failure to 
apply laws, and the practice of nepotism and favoritism. In 
addition, he promised to promote greater government 
transparency, which he noted would contribute to more 
professionalism and ultimately an environment more favorable 
to investment and economic growth. 
 
¶4. (U) President Guebuza, Prime Minister Luisa Diogo, former 
President Joaquim Chissano, and Graca Machel, the widow of 
the first Mozambican President, Samora Michel, each used the 
forum as an opportunity to speak frankly about the 
increasingly critical HIV/AIDS situation. In his opening 
speech, President Guebuza stated that the numbers of 
infected Mozambicans had "reached levels of calamity" and 
that "HIV/AIDS is becoming a serious obstacle to our efforts 
to fight against poverty." Diogo announced that all 128 
districts would have anti-retroviral treatment available for 
all those eligible by the first quarter of 2007. 
 
//SELECTING THE LEADERSHIP// 
 
¶5. (SBU) Delegates reelected Guebuza as President of FRELIMO 
while electing Chissano as honorary President in a move that 
many press reports characterized as an attempt to unite the 
two main factions of the party. Chissano promised "not to 
interfere" with Guebuza, which may have been a tacit 
admission that he has done so in the past. Delegates also 
elected 60 of the 160 members of the Central Committee, 
FRELIMO's larger decision making body. Of note, three of the 
five candidates receiving the most votes were women, 
including Prime Minister Diogo, former first lady Machel, 
and deputy chairperson of the Assembly, Veronica Macamo. It 
is also significant that several younger members were 
elected, including Samora Machel Junior, son of the 
country's first president, and Nyeleti Mondlane, daughter of 
the founder and first president of FRELIMO, Eduardo 
Mondlane. 
 
¶6. (U) On the final day of the Congress, members of the 
Central Committee elected members to the Political 
Commission, the body makes the most important decisions 
 
MAPUTO 00001497  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
affecting the party and the government. The new commission 
will have 17 members (it previously had 15). The reelected 
include Guebuza, Chissano, Diogo, Foreign Minister Alcinda 
Abreu, FRELIMO party whip Manuel Tome, Speaker of the 
Parliament Eduardo Mulembwe, Interior Minister Jose Pacheco, 
former Defense Minister Alberto Chipande, Maputo Mayor Eneas 
Comiche, FRELIMO deputy whip Margarida Talapa, and first 
Vice-President of the Parliament Veronica Macamo. New 
members include Planning Minister Aiuba Cuereneia, veteran 
of the independence struggle Raimundo Pachinuapa, Education 
Minister Aires Aly, former speaker of the Maputo Municipal 
Assembly Teodoro Waty, women's activist Paulina Mateus, and 
Conceita Sortane. The four members who lost their seats on 
the commission are former Veteran Affairs Minister Antonio 
Hama Thai, former Transportation Minister Tomaz Salomao, 
former Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi and Women and Social 
Affairs Minister Virgilia Matabele (COMMENT: Post will 
provide septel bio information on those members for whom we 
have not already submitted bios. END COMMENT). 
 
¶7. (SBU) Despite early speculation that the new Secretary 
General of FRELIMO would be a strong, well-known figure, 
such as Graca Machel, Antonio Hama Thai, Feliciano Gundana, 
or Mariano Matsinhe, delegates chose current Nampula 
Governor Filipe Paunde (he was the sole candidate running 
for the job). The choice of Paunde, presumably by Guebuza, 
is somewhat unexpected, although according to some press 
reports, during his time as Secretary of Province, Paunde 
worked hard to increase FRELIMO membership in the 
traditionally RENAMO province. Other analysts opine that 
Guebuza did not want a potential rival in the high-profile 
position. 
 
//COMMENT// 
 
¶8. (SBU) The reconfirmation of President Guebuza as 
President of FRELIMO may be seen as a renewal and 
reinforcement of his mandate and his attempts to project a 
more positive and inclusive image of FRELIMO. The party has 
enticed many officials of other parties to defect over the 
last year, reportedly with promises of jobs or other 
benefits. Its role in directing the government has become 
steadily more prominent under Guebuza, and some opponents 
claim it is moving towards a renewed one-party state.  The 
Congress featured a blurring of the line between party and 
government, with many government employees helping in 
preparations. The presence of opposition parties, including 
a "constructive opposition" group of parties not represented 
in the legislature that made a public donation to help 
FRELIMO pay for the Congress, was a sign that all recognize 
that FRELIMO is the only game in town. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The appointment of Paunde as Secretary General may 
have a significant impact if President Guebuza decides to 
appoint an incumbent government minister or provincial 
governor to take Paunde's place as Governor of Nampula. This 
would provide sufficient pretext for a government reshuffle, 
particularly since Guebuza has been openly critical of the 
performance of some of his ministers. END COMMENT 
 
Dudley