GOVERNMENT
Mozambique
is a multi-party democracy under the 1990 constitution. The executive
branch comprises a president, prime minister, and Council of Ministers.
There is a National Assembly and municipal assemblies. The judiciary
comprises a Supreme Court and provincial, district, and municipal
courts. Suffrage is universal at 18.
In 1994
the country held its first democratic elections. Joaquim Chissano
was elected President with 53% of the vote, and a 250-member National
Assembly was voted in with 129 FRELIMO deputies, 112 RENAMO deputies,
and 9 representatives of three smaller parties that formed the
Democratic Union (UD). Since its formation in 1994, the National
Assembly has made progress in becoming a body increasingly more
independent of the executive. By 1999, more than one-half (53%)
of the legislation passed originated in the Assembly.
After
some delays, in 1998 the country held its first local elections
to provide for local representation and some budgetary authority
at the municipal level. The principal opposition party, RENAMO,
boycotted the local elections, citing flaws in the registration
process. Independent slates contested the elections and won seats
in municipal assemblies. Turnout was very low.
In the
aftermath of the 1998 local elections, the government resolved
to make more accommodations to the opposition's procedural concerns
for the second round of multiparty national elections in 1999.
Working through the National Assembly, the electoral law was rewritten
and passed by consensus in December 1998. Financed largely by
international donors, a very successful voter registration was
conducted from July to September 1999, providing voter registration
cards to 85% of the potential electorate (more than 7 million
voters).
The second
general elections were held December 3-5, 1999, with high voter
turnout. International and domestic observers agreed that the
voting process was well organized and went smoothly. Both the
opposition and observers subsequently cited flaws in the tabulation
process that, had they not occurred, might have changed the outcome.
In the end, however, international and domestic observers concluded
that the close result of the vote reflected the will of the people.
President
Chissano won the presidency with a margin of 4% points over the
RENAMO-Electoral Union coalition candidate, Afonso Dhlakama, and
began his 5-year term in January 2000. FRELIMO increased its majority
in the National Assembly with 133 out of 250 seats. RENAMO-UE
coalition won 116 seats, one went independent, and no third parties
are represented.
The opposition
coalition did not accept the National Election Commission's results
of the presidential vote and filed a formal complaint to the Supreme
Court. One month after the voting, the court dismissed the opposition's
challenge and validated the election results. The opposition did
not file a complaint about the results of the legislative vote.
The second
local elections, involving 33 municipalities with some 2.4 million
registered voters, took place in November 2003. This was the first
time that FRELIMO, RENAMO-UE, and independent parties competed
without significant boycotts. The 24% turnout was well above the
15% turnout in the first municipal elections. FRELIMO won 28 mayoral
positions and the majority in 29 municipal assemblies, while RENAMO
won 5 mayoral positions and the majority in 4 municipal assemblies.
The voting was conducted in an orderly fashion without violent
incidents. However, the period immediately after the elections
was marked by objections about voter and candidate registration
and vote tabulation, as well as calls for greater transparency.
In May
2004, the government approved a new general elections law that
contained innovations based on the experience of the 2003 municipal
elections.
The third general elections occurred on December 1-2, 2004. FRELIMO candidate Armando Guebuza won with 64% of the popular vote. His opponent, Afonso Dhlakama of RENAMO, received 32% of the popular vote. The estimated 44% turnout was well below the almost 70% turnout in the 1999 general elections. FRELIMO won 160 seats in Parliament. A coalition of RENAMO and several small parties won the 90 remaining seats. Armando Guebuza was inaugurated as the President of Mozambique on February 2, 2005. The government has scheduled provincial elections in 2007, municipal elections in 2008, and presidential and parliamentary elections in 2009.
.
Principal
Government Officials
President--Armando Guebuza
Prime Minister--Luisa Diogo
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation--Oldemiro Baloi
Minister of Finance--Manuel Chang
Minister of National Defense--Filipe Jacinto
Minister of the Interior--Jose Pacheco
Minister of Industry and Commerce--Antonio Fernando
Minister of Justice--Maria Benvinda Levi
Ambassador to the United States--Armando Panguene
Mozambique
maintains an embassy
in the United States at 1990 M Street, NW, Suite 570, Washington,
DC 20036; tel: 202-293-7146.
Government
Type: Multi-party democracy.
Independence: June 25, 1975.
Constitution: November 1990.
Branches: Executive--President, Council of Ministers. Legislative--National Assembly, municipal assemblies. Judicial--Supreme Court, provincial, district, and municipal courts. Administrative subdivisions: 10 provinces, 224 districts, and 33 municipalities, of which Maputo City is the largest.
Political parties: Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO); Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO); numerous small parties.
Suffrage: Universal adult, 18 years and older.
