GOVERNMENT
Mozambique is a constitutional democracy with an estimated population of 20 million. President Armando Guebuza was elected in 2004 in what national and international observers judged to be generally free and fair elections, despite some irregularities. The Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) has been the ruling political party since independence in 1975, heavily influencing both policymaking and implementation. While civilian authorities generally maintain effective control of the security forces, there have been some instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently. 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). 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.
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.
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. Elections in Mozambique's 43 municipalities took place on November 19, 2008. FRELIMO mayoral candidates won in 42 of the 43 contests. Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for late 2009.
Despite the government's strong anticorruption rhetoric, corruption in the executive and legislative branches was widely perceived to be endemic in 2008. The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators reflected that corruption was a serious problem, with no change in ranking from the previous year. For the first time in five years, the country dropped in Transparency International's 2008 Corruption Perception Index, indicating that corruption was rampant. Petty corruption by low-level government officials to supplement low incomes, and high-level corruption by a small group of politically and economically connected elites continues to be the norm. Corruption largely results from a lack of checks and balances, minimal accountability, and a culture of impunity. Local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as the Center for Public Integrity, and media groups continue to be the main civic forces fighting corruption, reporting and investigating numerous corruption cases. The law requires that all members of the government declare and deposit their assets with the Constitutional Council, but does not require that such information be made available to the general public.
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Principal
Government Officials
President--Armando Guebuza
Prime Minister--Luisa Diogo
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation--Oldemiro Baloi
Minister of Finance--Baledzi Gaolathe
Minister of National Defense--Filipe Jacinto Nhussi
Minister of the Interior--Jose Pacheco
Minister of Industry and Commerce--Antonio Fernando
Minister of Justice--Maria Benvinda Levi
Minister of Agriculture--Soares Nhaca
Ministry in the Presidency for Diplomatic Affairs--Francisco Caetano Madeira
Ambassador-designate to the United States--Amelia Matos Sumbana
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.
