Mozambique is a democratic republic with a unicameral parliament known as the Assembly of the Republic.29.1a The head of state and government is the president, who is directly elected through universal adult suffrage with a minimum of 50% of the vote. The president may serve a maximum of two consecutive five-year terms, after which the incumbent must wait a term to be re-eligible. 



The Assembly of the Republic has 250 members, elected to serve a five-year term under a modified version of the d’Hondt system of proportional representation. Parties or coalitions must secure 5% or more of votes on a national basis in order to qualify for a seat under the proportional system. Following the 2019 national election, 37.6% of assembly members were women. The president appoints the prime minister and a council of ministers (the cabinet). 


There are 11 constituencies, each corresponding to one of Mozambique’s provinces. The council of ministers is convened and chaired by the president, who can delegate this power to the prime minister. The first multi-party democratic elections were held in 1994. Mozambique has 11 administrative provinces, one of which consists of the capital city Maputo. The provinces are further divided into 154 districts and 407 administrative divisions, encompassing smaller localities and aggregated villages (povoaçães).


The president of the council, or mayor, is head of the executive and appoints councillors (vereadores) to the executive municipal council. The presidency is a full-time position, while councillors may be either full-time or part-time. Presidents and full-time councillors are not permitted to undertake other paid employment. Municipalities are required to have annual activity plans and budgets. These are proposed by the municipal council and must be submitted for approval to the municipal assembly.


The management of elections is undertaken by the Comissão Nacional de Eleições. (CNE) (National Election Commission), composed of multiple stakeholders including political parties represented in parliament and civil society organisations). The CNE is assisted by the Secretariat of Electoral Management (known as STAE) – which is an executive agency responsible for all electoral processes.


The president of the council, or mayor, is directly elected for a term of five years and must secure more than 50% of the vote. Where no candidate achieves this, a second election must be contested between the two top candidates within 30 days. A person may stand simultaneously for the presidency and also be named on a party list for the council. To field a presidential candidate or put forward a list for a municipal assembly, political parties must obtain signatures from 1% of registered voters.


 Law No. 6/97 allows citizens, citizen groups or political parties which are not recognised also to campaign in elections for the office of president or seats in the municipal assembly. The decision-making process begins with the executive council drawing up an action plan and a budget, which are presented to the municipal assembly for approval. After approval is received, they are displayed for wider public information.


The committees that local authorities are required to establish depend on their size, in terms of population and land area, and the responsibilities that have been devolved to them. It is recommended that standing committees for the main services provided by the authority be established - eg finance, administration and social services.


 Mozambican municipalities are composed of two distinct bodies: the municipal assembly, which acts as a legislature; and the municipal council, which holds executive powers. Members are elected to the municipal assembly under the d’Hondt system of proportional representation for a term of five years. Unlike the national system, there is no requirement to secure 5% of the total vote to qualify for a seat.