The mayor of the city of Quelimane, in Zambézia province, Manuel de Araújo, criticizes the "not very combative" stance of the re-elected Renamo president, Ossufo Momade, during his previous term.

My appeal is for "him to change and become more combative. We saw that there were local elections, with all the flaws, with all the fraud, and our president was mute. That's why a good portion of society resents him for not being very combative," he said.

According to Araújo, the ideal situation for the upcoming elections is for the President of Renamo to go through health problems that prevent him from fighting, when necessary, right after the elections.

"It's true that there is an unofficial explanation [about his impunity in the face of electoral fraud] according to which he wasn't in good health right after the elections. Could it be that, after the October 9 elections, we won't have a president with health problems again?" he asked, stressing that the expectation is that this "won't happen again".

Likewise, Renamo's deputy in the Assembly of the Republic, António Muchanga, says that the previous mandate was an inglorious one and that there is a need for change.

"Last term wasn't all wonderful. There's a lot that needs to be rectified. We can't keep using the same game model as last term," he said.

They were speaking at the end of the Renamo National Council, held recently in the district of Alto Mulócuè, in Zambézia province.