Representação e participação política em Moçambique a crise da representação política nas assembleias representativas: o caso da Assembleia Municipal de Xai-Xai

Abstract

Representation and political participation are identified in the literature as being elements fundamental principles of democracy. The present work presents the debate on the crisis of the political representation in Mozambican representative assemblies, centralizing their analysis for the Xai-Xai municipal assembly. Observing the criteria that support the idea of ​​the existence of a crisis in representation politics, as is the case with high rates of electoral abstention, weak confidence of the citizens, distance between political participation and the resolution of social problems and the weak contact between the citizen and the members of the municipal assembly, we evaluate the principles that guide the functioning of the representative government, which are: the representatives are elected by the governed; the representatives retain partial independence in the face of voter preferences; public opinion on political issues can manifest itself regardless of government control; and political decisions are made after debate. The results of the data collected through surveys, debates and interviews show that the importance of participation in local political life is recognized by all actors, however, the The level of participation of citizens and civil society organizations is still low. Factors of a historical nature (neo-patrimonialism), institutional factors such as the system electoral system, as well as the weak mobilization and dissemination of mechanisms for the citizens present themselves as being the main elements that contribute to the weak participation. However, there are improvements in the relationship between citizens and the municipality's executive (Municipal Council), which has adopted strategies that encourage contact between citizens with their representatives. These are open presidencies, weekly hearings and the “one godfather of a neighborhood ”, which has brought positive results in this interaction. The work refutes the idea that, because the sessions of the Municipal Assembly are public and citizens as well as civil society organizations are free to participate, so there are participation, since the opening of the Municipal Assembly is limited to the presence and spaces existing are basically spaces of information. In view of this scenario, and based on the information collected in the municipality of Xai-Xai combined with the theoretical basis of analysis, the work systematizes a set of measures strategies that can be adopted to improve the relationship between those represented and representatives within this municipality, as well as potentiate the actions of the organizations of the civil society.