The boycott of elected institutions by Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, is continuing to collapse, as Renamo members trickle into the provincial assemblies.

When the provincial assemblies first met, on 5 January, only nine out of the 83 Renamo members took their seats (five in Maputo province, three in Zambezia and one in Niassa).

However, on 26 January, 19 Renamo members of the Manica provincial assembly took their seats. Their spokesperson, Manuel Mucocove, cited in the newssheet “Canal de Mocambique”, claimed they went into the Assembly with the authorisation of Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama.

If true, Dhlakama had not told the Renamo Manica provincial delegate, Albino Faife, who seemed to believe that the boycott remained official party policy. Faife declared that he knew nothing about Renamo members taking their seats in the provincial assembly, and that anyone who did so “has betrayed the party”.

The Renamo boycott of parliament and of the provincial assemblies was supposed to go hand in hand with the demonstrations. But with the boycott now in ruins, few people believe that any demonstrations will take place.