Mozambique: President appoints Frelimo stalwarts to Council of State, Defence Council

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Mozambique: President appoints Frelimo stalwarts to Council of State, Defence Council

1:02 CAT | 17 Jun 2025

File photo: Presidency

President Daniel Chapo has appointed Frelimo stalwarts Alberto Chipande, Graça Machel, Eduardo Nihia and Felizarda Paulino to the Council of State, the presidency announced in a statement.

In addition to the appointments of members to the Council of State, in a second presidential order, Chapo appointed Mariano de Araújo Matsinha and Joaquim João Munhepe Muhlanga ,also two veteran members of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), the party in power since independence, to the National Council for Defence and Security.

“These appointments aim to strengthen the composition of the advisory bodies of the President of the Republic, which are essential to the country’s strategic political orientation in the areas of the State, national sovereignty, territorial integrity, defence of democratically established power and security,” reads a note issued by the presidency.

The constitution defines the Council of State as a “political body for consultation with the President”, which he presides over, and which includes by extension the President of the Assembly of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the President of the Constitutional Council, the Ombudsman, former Presidents of the Republic and former Speakers of Parliament.

According to Article 163 of the Constitution, the Council of State must be made up of “seven individuals of recognised merit elected by the Assembly of the Republic for the term of office, in accordance with parliamentary representation”, as well as “four individuals of recognised merit appointed by the President of the Republic for the term of office” and “the second most voted candidate for the position of President”.

“The members of the Council of State shall enjoy privileges, immunities and protocol treatment to be established by law,” the Constitution establishes.

The Council of State is responsible for “advising the President (…) whenever he so requests”, but also for “obligatory pronouncements” on the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic, declaration of war, state of siege or state of emergency, holding a referendum, calling general elections and dismissal of provincial governors and district administrators.

At the end of May, the leaders of the three Mozambican opposition parties with seats in parliament, Albino Forquilha (Podemos), Ossufo Momade (Renamo) and Lutero Simango (MDM), were elected, along with four other citizens, by the Assembly of the Republic to serve on the Council of State in the 2025-2029 legislature.

This group of four citizens elected by the Assembly of the Republic to serve on the Council of State in the 2025-2029 legislature is made up of politicians, academics and religious figures, namely Alcinda Abreu Mondlane, Maria Luísa Neto Massamba, Jamisse Taimo and Aminuddin Mohamed.

According to the Constitution of the Republic, Venâncio Mondlane, who was the second most voted presidential candidate in October, is expected to be nominated for this body, but he does not recognise the election results, which gave victory to Daniel Chapo, who was sworn in as the fifth President of the Republic on 15 January.

Source: Lusa