Republic of Mozambique comprises a multiparty democracy under the 1990 constitution. The administration comprises a president, prime minister, and Council of Ministers. The nation also has a National Assembly and several municipal assemblies. The judiciary comprises a Supreme Court and provincial, district, and municipal courts. Right to vote is universal at eighteen.

In the 1994 Mozambique elections, Joaquim Chissano was selected President with fifty-three% of the vote, and a 250-member National Assembly was voted in with 129 Liberation Front of Mozambique (FRELIMO) surrogates, 112 Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO) surrogates, and 9 representatives from 2 smaller political parties that constituted the Democratic Union (UD). Since its inception in 1994, the National Assembly has gained in becoming a body progressively independent of the administration. By 1999, over one-half (fifty-three%) of the legislation authorized in the Assembly.

After few holdups, in 1998 Mozambique held its 1st local elections to allow for local delegacy and some budgetary office at the domestic level. The chief opposition political party, RENAMO, boycotted the local elections, naming defects in the enrollment process. Independent slates contested the elections and succeeded in winning seats in municipal assemblies.

 

After the 1998 General elections, the authorities decided to realize many accommodations to the opposition's procedural concerns since the 2nd round of multi-party federal elections in 1999. Going through the National Assembly, the electoral jurisprudence was rewritten and authorized by consensus in Dec 1998. Supported mostly by international funds, a really flourishing elector enrolment was conducted from July to Sep 1999, allowing elector enrollment cards to eighty-five% of the potential difference electorate (over 4 million electors).

The 2nd general elections were conducted from Dec 3–5, 1999, with excellent elector turnout. International and local commentators agreed that the balloting process was well coordinated and ran smoothly. Both the opposition and commentators afterwards brought up faults in the tabulation process that, had they not took place, might have modified the conclusion. In the end, however, global and local critics reasoned that the close result of the vote reflected the will of the people.