MOZAMBIQUE’S parliamentarians complained to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday that after 12 years of economic reforms 70% of the population still lives in absolute poverty. At a meeting with visiting IMF deputy managing director Shigemitsu Sugisaki, a group of legislators from both the ruling and opposition parties also urged the IMF to drop conditions attached to its assistance. Saying many policies imposed by the IMF did not take account of local realities, they pointed out the liberalisation in the cashew nut trade had not increased prices as planned. Sugisaki, who arrived in Maputo on Wednesday for a two-day visit, pledged to convey parliament’s concerns to the IMF board of directors. He also met Thursday with Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi, NGOs and private sector representatives.