State in Mozambique

The President is the head of state, head of government, guardian of the Constitution and commander-in-chief of the Defence and Security Forces. In the 2026 research snapshot, Daniel Francisco Chapo holds the presidency and Maria Benvinda Delfina Levi is Prime Minister. The Council of Ministers directs public administration, public order and security, economic and social policy, foreign policy and the integrity of state action. The Assembleia da República has 250 members and a five-year legislature. It makes laws, approves the State budget, sets the framework for taxation and public credit, oversees the executive, and decides on territorial, defence and security matters within its constitutional powers. Elections and electoral administration belong primarily to the separate elections topic. Provincial administration combines the Governor of the Province with the Secretary of State in the Province. District administration is led by the District Administrator. Cities and towns form part of the urban structure, while local authorities, called autarquias locais, have administrative, financial and property autonomy. Their elected municipal assembly and municipal council manage local matters, but state legal and financial supervision remains in place and decentralisation is being expanded gradually under Lei 12/2023 and Decreto 11/2024. Local capacity and dependence on state transfers differ between municipalities. The Ministry of Economy and Finance, known as MEF, manages planning, macroeconomics and public finance. SISTAFE and e-SISTAFE provide the integrated framework for planning, budgeting, execution, accounting and control. The Treasury Single Account, or CUT, supports liquidity management. Each year the government prepares the PESOE, which combines the economic and social plan with the State budget, and the Assembleia da República approves the budget. After execution, the General State Account is examined by the Tribunal Administrativo, which reports to the Assembleia da República. The Tribunal Supremo is the highest court in the judicial hierarchy. The Tribunal Administrativo handles administrative, tax and customs jurisdiction, including challenges to administrative acts and review of public expenditure. The Conselho Constitucional reviews constitutionality and legality, resolves certain institutional conflicts and decides matters concerning constitutional mandates. The Ministério Público, led by the Procuradoria-Geral da República, protects legality, conducts criminal prosecution and preliminary investigations, represents the State and protects minors, absent persons and people unable to protect their own interests. The Provedor de Justiça independently supervises public administration and civil rights, receives petitions, complaints and claims, and issues recommendations without power to impose a remedy. Public administration must serve the public interest and comply with the Constitution and the law. Equality, impartiality, ethics and fairness guide its work. Access may run through central, provincial, district, local or municipal offices, and official information and legal instruments are published through government portals and the Boletim da República. An unlawful state act may be taken to the Provedor de Justiça, the Ministério Público or the Tribunal Administrativo. Fees and deadlines depend on the particular service or procedure; Mozambique has no single state-wide fee or deadline for every administrative matter. The Constitution protects freedom of expression, the press, information, peaceful assembly and association, as well as the right to petition and seek a remedy. The Conselho Superior da Comunicação Social advises on private radio and television licensing and supports media independence and discipline. Public media are expected to provide plural expression. Citizens also have duties to obey the law and pay taxes, defend independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and perform military or legally recognized alternative service where the law requires it. Emergency measures may limit some rights under law, while core rights remain protected. The Defence and Security Forces include the FADM, the PRM and other security services. The PRM protects public order, people and property and must act impartially under the law. The Conselho Nacional de Defesa e Segurança advises the President on sovereignty, territory, defence of the democratic order and security. Cabo Delgado remains the country’s most acute local security concern because of the continuing terrorism situation; official 2026 references include the FDS, support from Rwanda and Tanzania, and the Força Local, but operational details should not be generalized to all of Mozambique. In rural areas, access to public authority often passes through district offices, administrative posts, localities and recognized community authorities. Traditional, neighbourhood and village leaders can mobilize communities, support consultation and mediate local issues, but they do not possess independent state sovereignty. Their recognition, subsidies and legal powers depend on the applicable rules and coordination with state and municipal bodies.