Constitution of Mozambique

Mozambique's current constitution was adopted on 16 November 2004 and became effective on 21 January 2005, most recently amended in 2023, the country's third constitutional framework after the 1975 constitution that established a one-party Marxist state under FRELIMO at independence from Portugal and the 1990 constitution that introduced democratic and market-oriented reforms, including abolishing capital punishment and protecting strike rights, amid civil conflict. The 2004 document created a Constitutional Council to oversee constitutional compliance, an Ombudsman to investigate citizen grievances, and a Council of State advising the President, and it guarantees freedoms of expression and association, privacy protection, and equal treatment under article 35 regardless of colour, race, sex, ethnic origin or other status. Amendments in 2018 and 2023 addressed decentralization of provincial and district governance, shifting some appointment powers to indirect elections.