“The present study has highlighted a number of critical shortcomings in the institutionalization of parties in Mozambique. It is thus an important contribution to the debate on the role of parties in the consolidation of the democratic process in Mozambique. It is our expectation that parties discussed in this study will have the chance to compare their characteristics with those of other parties and possibly discover the issues that each party is neglecting in its own operation and functioning. In general, FRELIMO, seems to have a clear policy on gender compared to other political parties in the country. And, in turn, RENAMO seems particularly skillful at engineering electoral coalitions. As this research shows, it is also the case that the existing legal basis governing political parties in Mozambique seems limited, dispersed and not systemized. The research uncovered the fact that the inauguration of multiparty democracy in Mozambique was the prime condition for the ending of hostilities between Frelimo and Renamo and for the establishment of a pluralist political order. However, multiparty democracy did not guarantee national political cohesion. One of the major problems is perhaps the sort of democracy being implemented in the country, which is basically ‘adversarial’ and close to the model of ‘competitive elitism’. On balance therefore, the authors believe that the prospects for democratic consolidation in Mozambique remain ‘fragile and problematical’.”
