President Rupiah Banda today attended the Inauguration ceremony of Mozambican President Armando Guebuza who was sworn in for a second and final five year term of office in Maputo.
President Banda who arrived at Maputo international airport at 09:00 hours this morning joined several other SADC Heads of State and government in witnessing President Guebuza’ s inauguration.
Mr. Banda joined President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Hefekapunya Pohamba of Namibia, Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, SADC Chairperson Joseph Kabila of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Bingu Wa Mutharika of Malawi.
The ceremony which was held at Maputo civic centre which is also the Independence square was characterized by performances from the military and traditional dancers.
In his speech President Guebuza called on the people of Mozambique to put aside their political differences and together concentrate of fighting poverty and other challenges facing the country.
Mr. Guebuza said although his country made tremendous economic, social and political developments during the first five years in office, there was need for the citizenry to continue working hard in order to register more development.
President Banda is accompanied to Maputo by Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande and former president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda.
Later in the day President Banda and other heads of state attended a luncheon at State House in Maputo.
This evening the President attended a closed door double troika SADC summit at Joachim Chisano International conference centre.
And Dr. Kaunda is among some former heads of state and government in the SADC region who have been invited by the Mozambican government to attend the ceremony.
Among the former heads of state that attended the ceremony are former South African president Thabo Mbeki and his counterpart from Botswana Festus Mugea.
President Guebuza won at least two-thirds (77 percent) of valid votes in Mozambique’s October 28, 2009 general elections after garnering 2.3 million votes.
He beat Alfonso Dhlakama of the opposition Mozambique National Resistance party (Renamo) and Daviz Simango of the newly formed Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), who polled 420,000 votes and 280,000 votes respectively.
Out of a total of 250 parliamentary seats, Frelimo got 192, Renamo fell in the second position with 48 constituencies while MDM trailed behind with eight seats.
In his election for the first term of office in 2004, President Guebuza’s Frelimo party had 160 seats while Renamo had 90 seats in the National Assembly. The recent election means that Frelimo increased its representation in parliament while Renamo reduced from 90 seats to 48.
In their pre-October 2009 campaign messages, President Guebuza pledged to continue addressing many issues among them poverty and unemployment while Mr. Dhlakama promised among other things, to abolish party branches in state institutions and to promote peace and stability in the country.
MDM’s Simango campaigned on the promise of modernizing agriculture, promoting rural trade and reducing unemployment.
Mozambique uses an electoral system of Proportional Representation.
ZANIS
I hope Guebuza will be there to comfort RB when he falls in 2011.
An altruistic People’s President filled with a natural smile is a true fit of the office of dignity and statesmanship.The Lord who appointed him amony thousands continue giving him the wisdom, compassion and unparalleled tolerance.
Our dear altruistic People’s President filled with a natural smile is a true fit of the office of dignity and statesmanship.The Lord who appointed him among thousands continue giving him the wisdom, compassion and unparalleled tolerance to move the country to higher heights.
#2,3 Veteran – You have Stepford wife syndrome
The beaten Alfonso Dhlakama of the opposition Mozambique National Resistance party (Renamo), is the prototype of our very own confused Zambian politician of rare breed- Sata”.The only difference is that Sata’s delusion evolves around insults and utopia kaponyalism while his mate Alfonso Dhlakama its the curse of civil war and human blood.otherwise, their bitter spirit, icorrigible hatred against their country for not risking with them is undisputable shared evil.
Good Evening
There’s a new wind sweeping accross Africa and the old autocrats are beginning to reincarnate themselves as new democrats. They are slowly but surey losing control as they concede to the young ones… a new generation of leaders is born. Africa’s future is in the hands of its youth!
They both have incorrigible hatred against their countries
Are chorionic ballot rejects who have taken over 3-4 election rejects each but still infatuated by tabloids that they are leaders.
Both are life time self coronated party Presidents unkind to intra-party democracy
Both inhibit dissent and devolution of institutional power to structures
Both are illiterates who thrive on intimidation of their followers
Both are charismatic and individualistic
Both are egoistic self seeking unstable mercenaries who draw funding from Boers
African’s future is in the hands of the youths who are growning and maturing in politics that embrace the inclusive and democratic politics descency driven on issue,patriotism and critical thinking. Certainly not those life PF driven on utopia, anti-democratic self appointed life time lead parties that inculcate insults and hatred only.
Surely this is a strange allaince between UNIP and MMD. They are now travelling presidential side by side. Has our farther of the nation surely got any brains in him or the have all been clogged by vegetable roots?????
No wonder the journalists are not being allowed to be near the presidential jet when its being loaded by covert passengers. I bet you This KK was ther in Angola too.
We will keep watching the cuircus
Both Sata and his brother in crime Alfonso Dhlakama are chronic ballot rejects.
Are allergic and resistant to internal democracy
They are regionalists
Over dependent on unregistered thugs hence sore losers in elections
Both depend on the crowds the pull in entertainment than conversion to voters.
Both fear and never mention GDP
Both articulate nothing on nation interest but spew anger and utopia
both are recruited by Boers and have the tendency to mortgage their countries during elections for campaign funds.
We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise, we harden. (or become rusty)
Goethe (German philosopher)
Nangu pacipanda niwe watandala lyonse you lose respect. Even tea makers at our neighbours’ state houses are tired of making tea for the same person. Mudala lisebanya mwe.
#10, Veteran, can you please stop provoking us and insulting our president. I voted for Sata in 2008 and 2006. I voted for the Late Mazoka in 2001 and in 2011 I will vote for Sata, so please stop insulting us or pushing us to the edge. Just debate the issues here. This Thread is not about Sata
By the GDP is overated, especially in Zambia. What good is GDP if you can’t translate it into improving the lives of the people. My friend GDP is a leading indicator detached from reality. Between reality and the leading indicator , a lot can happen. I you want a real debate on economics lets meet on an economic thread and I will expose your dullness to the masses, they way I did to your fello bootlicker called Mr Capitalist. You think you know economics, lets meet on the right thread
# 3, 5, 7, 8,& 10, VETERAN,
I would like to encourage you to think seriously about standing as an MP in 2011 or better still have a go at the presidency. In you Zambia would have a very colourful and better politician than your own idol,RB.
VETERAN
You shameless hypocrite, you know as much as everybody does that most of African elections-if not all- are not free and fair. How do you explain a situation whereby at one of the polling stations in Western province the counted votes were more than the number of voters on the register. It’s disgusting for you to call Sata an election reject even when you know the ECZ director is an MMD senior cadre. The only thing that would flush MMD out of power is mass revolution, the kind that saw UNIP packing.
Get busy on productive issues that will enhance your lives and the country.Stop burning in vanity on a lifeless PACT between Sata and Hichilema which was born with a death certificate, lives with it and is getting interred on it.There are no mechanisms of survival for this circus you are wastefully calling a PACT. It evolves around the ego and delusion of the two losers. No rules, no structures of operations, transformation and integration for the two to commingle their political confusion.Better build and buy your future productively now than burning in Utopia.
Today at a Press briefing two Luapula Province Opposition Patriotic Front (PF) members announced their defection from their party to the ruling MMD.
The duo Luapula Provincial PF Chairperson Theresa Sunga and her Secretary Maggie Nawela said they defected from PF to MMD because the PF lacked leadership.
No doubt the defection of the two PF members is a clear indication that the opposition PF had no future.
Senior Citizen, You know little about Luapula. Am from Kapala in Mwense and have always been there on election time. If you know strategists they belong to Mansa. You have people that want to eat or exploit you to the fullest there. Ask the Samukongas, Chibandas and many more. Luapula is a place where every jim and jac shifts parties at the time when someone is campaining.
There just going with the trend. Follow you stomach!!!! Not politics
wow, all strategists are from luapula! is that what they call the mununga factor.
# 18 defections are not election results.
#13 True PF cadre. The rising GDP is translating in improved lives for some of our citizens > this is witnessed from the poverty statistics that show Povert is declining( though still very high) . However statistics show a decline at national level, poverty is rising in rural areas and declining in Urban areas. In the urban areas the signs are the increasing number of motor vehicles on the street. The rising number if zambians building owning houses. On the copperbelt, you also have the popular mine suppliers. Now what i find ironic is that rural areas ( where there is increasing poverty ) are voting for the MMd, while the urban areas where poverty is decreasing are voting for the opposition
Yaaaawn, yaba, how i wish we could get some rain in Lusaka…yawn.