The Council of State, an advisory body to the President of the Republic which, among other powers, is obliged to rule on the declaration of war, a state of siege or a state of emergency, met last week to analyze the security situation in the national territory, with a focus on the Northern Operational Theatre and the demonstrations in the post-election period..

Filipe Nyusi put on the table the possibility of declaring a State of Siege, a proposal that was immediately rejected by those present, using the argument that the outbreaks of instability cannot be generalized. This was not the first time that Nyusi had put the declaration of a State of Siege or Emergency on the table, a constitutional remedy that limits fundamental freedoms. The intention has already been shared with the Political Commission, as part of the solutions. Also on Monday, the Political Commission met and Nyusi ironically criticized the stance of this body, which without presenting solutions, limits itself to not accepting their solutions, a rare position that suggests isolation.

A publication by Evidence newspapern this week's edition, Nyusi has spent most of the week listening to various relevant sectors of society about the possible ways out of the post-election crisis, an approach that diverges from the style that has characterized him during his 10 years in power, in which he has closed himself off from the presidency and placed adulators close to him, while driving away those who don't flatter or question him.

The 7th Meeting of the Council of State was held on November 11. The Council is an advisory body to the President of the Republic and is responsible for deciding on the following: a) dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic; b) declaration of war, a state of siege or a state of emergency; c) holding a referendum, under the terms of Article 159(c) of the Constitution of the Republic; and d) calling general elections.

According to a report in the newspaper Evidências, Nyusi wanted to hear from this body, which was attended by the former Presidents of the Republic, Joaquim Chissano and Armando Guebuza, among other personalities, about the possibility of declaring a State of Siege and, in response, this body was not in favor.

The arguments raised suggest that the body may be minimizing the chaos resulting from the post-election crisis, although in the end, without referring to the State of Siege, it acknowledged that the country is unstable due to the partisanship of electoral bodies and suggested a future way out that involves the "de-partisanship" and "professionalization" of electoral bodies.

"The body considered that the post-election crisis challenges the Mozambican state to carry out profound reforms as a way of preventing such acts from happening again in the future. To this end, a timely and inclusive revision of the electoral law was proposed, which should focus on issues such as the de-partisanship and professionalization of electoral management bodies, as well as the adoption of measures conducive to the promotion of transparency and credibility of electoral processes," reads the body's statement, which shows no solution to today's crisis.

In fact, he suggested that the Defense and Security Forces (DSF) should only resort to force in cases of necessity and should give priority to dialogue.

According to the same publication, the Council of State was not the first body to which Filipe Nyusi put on the table his rehearsals of possible solutions to the post-election crisis, which has found in "venancism" a new form of pressure on Frelimo and its government, causing incalculable damage to society in general, both in the economy on the macro scale, as well as in the micro-economy, reaching the dimension of families.

The Political Commission has already been approached and is not in favor. Among the reasons, the newspaper has learned from party sources that the fear has to do with the ever-present specter of perpetuating power, but Nyusi has already said that he is not tired and that he does not want to continue in power. In fact, he once again reinforced this discourse in his meeting with a journalist last week, where he peremptorily stated that "I don't want to", assuming that it wouldn't be in two or more years that he would be able to do what he hasn't been able to do in 10 years.

(Photo DR)