A new challenger for Mozambique’s decades long rivals Frelimo & Renamo

Aside from winning overwhelmingly in the municipalities of Beira, Quelimane and Gurue, MDM was able to penetrate in Frelimo fortresses such as Maputo and Matola municipalities, places in which Frelimo used to pile up majorities of between 80 and 90 per cent.The results from Maputo and Matola show that the MDM has dramatically reduced the size of the Frelimo majority in those places. And that was the trend in all across the country in which MDM was able to substantially increase their members in the municipal assemblies. This is the first time the MDM has contested nationwide municipal polls.* * *MDM was founded in March 6, 2009 as a breakaway of Renamo, the main opposition party. In October that same year MDM participated in the presidential elections and was able to secure 3.93 per cent of the votes. As a result It gained 8 seats in the 250 seats members of the parliament.MDM is considered the second main opposition party just after Renamo while Frelimo is the ruling party since independence in 1975.According to well known analyst Joseph Hanlon quoted by Al Jazeera website  ”These results are good enough to make MDM a serious opposition for next year’s elections,” predicting that ”they will replace Renamo”. That would spell an end to the decades-long Frelimo-Renamo political dominance.