Mozambique: Armando Guebuza takes Office - 3 February, 2005

Heads of State and Government from 70 countries present in Maputo

Many figures from the international community attended the taking of office of Mozambique's new president, Armando Guebuza in Independence Square, Maputo, on Wednesday.

The new President, who takes office for a period of five years, promised to remain faithful to the promises he made during the election campaign, during which he underlined the need to continue the fight against poverty, support the rural development programme and promote better conditions for women, young people and the country's entrepreneurs.

Armando Guebuza stated he wants to count on his partners in the opposition, hoping that “its leaders will know how to become important partners in this process to consolidate peace, deepen democracy and the State of Law which we are building”.

Mozambique's new President was born in Nampula in the north of the country, moving to Lourenзo Marques (now Maputo) in 1948, where he studied at the Negroes' Associative Centre of the Colony of Mozambique, in Xipamanine.

He became affiliated in the Nucleus of African Secondary students in Mozambique (NESAM) in the sixties and in 1963, he joined the organization which would be launched officially on 25th June 1964, with the name FRELIMO (Front for the Liberation of Mozambique) which fought for independence against the Portuguese colonial power.

Armando Guebuza occupied a number of government posts, among them Deputy Minister of Defence, Minister of the Interior and Internal Administration, Minister of the Presidency, Transport and Communications and General-Secretary of his party.

He was responsible for the coordination of agricultural policy, light industry and tourism, and for cooperation with the PR China, Pakistan, the DPR Korea and Vietnam. In 1980, he led the government delegation in the peace negotiations with RENAMO and was later involved in the Burundi peace process.

Armando Guebuza, FRELIMO, won the presidential election in December with 63.74% of the vote, against the 31.74% obtained by his main rival, Afonso Dhlakama, leader of RENAMO.

Bento MOREIRA
PRAVDA.Ru
MAPUTO MOZAMBIQUE
Translated from the Portuguese by
Olga Natalia Santos
Portuguese version