Dr. Álvaro Massingue wins “the autonomous board of lawsuits of the old CTA” with the dream of revitalizing the real CTA

Paulo Vilanculo "

Dr. Álvaro Massingue wins the elections in the former Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), an institution plunged into a crisis of legitimacy due to its arrogant stance, resulting from the assistance of the autonomous collegiate of its jurists who, even under orders from the court, refused his candidacy and his election and, surprisingly, suddenly accepted in record time, two hours before the vote! What kind of legal certainty?theautonomous collegiate of jurists of the former CTA wanted to feed Mozambican society? The Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), the largest organization representing the national private sector, is once again making headlines not because of its economic achievements or its troubled institutional management, interim behavior in the electoral process, the opposition and subsequent decision taken a few hours before the voting process to admit the candidacy and election of the former rejected candidate, which raised suspicions of internal manipulation, legal interference and a psychological strategy to destabilize the candidate, but above all because of the resounding victory of Dr. Álvaro Massingue against everything and everyone. The flagrant disrespect shown by the former CTA following a court ruling that required the inclusion of Dr. Álvaro Massingue's candidacy, and ignoring the court hearing, in an attitude interpreted as institutional arrogance, "in an autonomous capacity", allegedly based on opinions from its internal group of jurists, raised for many observers, as a gesture that seemed more like a desperate attempt to avoid imminent judicial sanctions or, even worse, a calculated maneuver to emotionally weaken Massingue's candidacy. Internet sources admitted that there was a tense internal environment within the former CTA, with members divided between the desire for internal reforms and the interests of an elite that refused to relinquish control of the structure. The initial rejection of the candidacy of Massingue, a respected figure in academic and business circles, was interpreted as a deliberate gesture to protect secularly entrenched interests. The old CTA no longer merely represented the private sector; it “judged the private sector” by taking on the role of judging candidacies, ignoring decisions from the formal judicial system. It operated with its own group of jurists as if they were supreme judges of a parallel court. It decided when to accept or not judicial decisions, as a sovereign court not subordinate to the Constitution, using its internal opinions as if they had binding force, above formal warrants or sentences, behaving as a “collegiate of an autonomous court”, an entity that judged, decided and interpreted laws in its own way, disregarding formal courts and the legal norms of the State. In this case, the former CTA would have usurped judicial functions, made decisions by force and subverted the legal order, operating with its own logic as a group of internal jurists who underestimated the role of the court, as an institution that judges, sentences and executes according to its own interests, eroding the legitimacy that should sustain a public interest organization like the CTA. Some members of the legal community saw all this as a genuine affront and disrespect for the institutions of the State and a worrying posture of superiority for an entity that should be committed to legality and business ethics. The CTA seemed more interested in maintaining an appearance of legality than in ensuring procedural justice at a time when the Mozambican private sector needs stability, credibility and strategic vision, and when the former CTA showed signs of being more concerned with power games than with its true role as a bridge between business and the State, especially in the irony and paradox of the institution acting as if it were a judicial entity above the law. In practice, the former CTA erred by behaving like a genuine collegiate body of an autonomous court, ignoring court hearings, disrespecting sentences and unilaterally redefining the rules of the electoral game, instead of acting as an organization representing the private sector. The turnaround, however, did not seem to convince anyone, even behind the scenes. According to analysts, Dr. Álvaro Massingue’s gesture of acceptance was carefully calculated to allow the symbolic entry of his candidacy, but without enough time to mobilize his campaign or prepare, a type of “camouflaged boycott” that undermines the legitimacy of the process, a classic destabilization strategy that yields in form but is unfeasible in practice. However, Dr. Álvaro Massingue’s candidacy managed to maintain momentum after this blow, and the former CTA did not publicly survive its stain on its institutional history. Congratulations, Dr. Álvaro Massingue!

2025/12/3