Mário Albino is a Mozambican politician who ran for mayor of Nampula in 2018 and for president in 2019.

Political career

Albino is the leader of the United Movement for Action and Integral Salvation (AMUSI), a political party that split off from

Democratic Movement of Mozambique The Democratic Movement of Mozambique () is a political party in Mozambique. Founded on 6 March 2009, it was led by Daviz Simango, who was the Mayor of Beira. It formed after breaking with RENAMO RENAMO (from the Portuguese , ) is a M ...

in the mid 2010s, the latter which itself is a split off from Mozambique's main opposition party

RENAMO RENAMO (from the Portuguese , ) is a Mozambican political party and militant group. The party was founded with the active sponsorship of the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) in May 1977 from anti-communist dissidents oppos ...

. In January 2018 Albino announced that he would be campaigning to contest the mayoral election in

Nampula Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Northern Mozambique. With a population of 743,125 (2017 census), it is the third-largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Matola. The city is located in the interior of Nampula Province, appro ...

, after the former mayor was murdered. Albino ran for mayor of the city, but only received 4.2% of the vote.

2019 Presidential election

On 31 July Mozambique's Constitutional Council approved Albino along with

Filipe Nyusi Filipe Jacinto Nyusi (; born 9 February 1959) is a Mozambican politician who was the fourth president of Mozambique from 2015 to 2025. He has also served as the Chairman of the Southern African Development Community from 2020 to 2022. During his ...

Ossufo Momade Ossufo Momade (born 30 January 1961) is a Mozambican politician. He has served as president of the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO), the main opposition party of Mozambique, since January 17, 2019. He assumed the presidency of the party af ...

, and

Daviz Simango Daviz Mbepo Simango (7 February 1964 – 22 February 2021) was a Mozambican politician who was Mayor of Beira from 2003 to the day of his death in February 2021. He was also the President of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM). He was s ...

as candidates in the 2019 presidential election. Two candidates were disqualified; Hélder Mendoça and

Alice Mabota Maria Alice MabotaAlso spelled as ''Mavota'' or ''Mahota,'' depending on the transcription. (8 April 1949 – 12 October 2023) was a Mozambican human rights activist and president of the Mozambique Human Rights League. Life Youth Maria Alic ...

. If she had been allowed to run, Mabota would have become the first woman to run for president in the country, but according to the constitutional council she did not obtain the required number of signatures. Albino was the only candidate from a non-traditional party to receive the necessary 10,000 signatures required to run for president. In June 2019, AMUSI party chairman Hermínio Sumail released a statement saying that Albino and his campaign were not being treated fairly by the ruling party or the opposition. In September 2019 Albino claimed that the AMUSI headquarters in the Namutequeliua neighborhood of Nampula were attacked by members of

who fled after the staff called the police. He also claimed that the Mozambique civil service were spying on him and his campaign team. Albino also claimed that he had received death threats.

References

Living people 21st-century Mozambican politicians Year of birth missing (living people) Candidates for President of Mozambique {{Mozambique-politician-stub