VI.

Government

Mozambique has a multiparty, republican government that operates under a constitution approved in 1990. The 1990 constitution, a first step toward the 1992 accord that ended the civil war, replaced the Marxist-Leninist constitution of 1978.

A.

Executive

Under the 1990 constitution, executive power is vested in a president who is both head of state and commander-in-chief. The president oversees the administration and enforcement of legislation, and has the power to call elections, dissolve the legislative body, and declare war. The president is directly elected for a term of five years, and may be reelected for two more terms. All citizens 18 years or older are eligible to vote.

B.

Legislature

The legislative branch consists of the unicameral (single chamber) Assembly of the Republic. The assembly’s 250 members are elected to represent Mozambique’s provinces through a system of proportional representation, in which voters vote for a list of candidates representing individual parties or coalitions of parties. The members serve five-year terms. The assembly has the authority to veto some of the president’s actions, but the president has the authority to dissolve the assembly before the end of its term. A prime minister, appointed by the president, heads a Council of Ministers, which carries out the administration of government affairs. The prime minister also submits government programs, such as the budget, to the assembly.

C.

Judiciary

The judiciary is headed by the Supreme Court, composed of 7 judges appointed by the president and 17 elected by the assembly.

D.

Local Government

The country is divided into ten provinces and the capital city of Maputo, which has provincial status. Each has a governor appointed by the ruling national party, as well as a provincial assembly and a number of lesser district assemblies.

E.

Political Parties

Before 1994 the only legal party was the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo, from Frente de Liberatação de Moçambique), which had come to power with independence in 1975. As part of the civil war peace process, the 1990 constitution provided for a multiparty system. Numerous political parties have participated in subsequent elections. Frelimo and the Mozambique National Resistance (Renamo, from Resistência Nacional Moçambicana), which fought against Frelimo in the civil war, are the major political parties in Mozambique.

F.

Defense

Mozambique’s Frelimo-dominated army was disbanded in 1994 as part of the peace process, and a new national army was recruited from Frelimo and Renamo soldiers. In 2004 the army had about 10,000 troops. Mozambique also has a small navy with 200 seamen and an air force with 1,000 persons.

G.

International Organizations

Mozambique is a founding member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). It is also a member of the United Nations (UN), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Commonwealth of Nations, and the African Union (AU).