Mozambique: How to avoid the failure of democracy and social collapse

Alipio Freeman"

The unprecedented institutional crisis, where democracy is questioned and public institutions remain totally subjugated to the party in power, and therefore of structural uselessness. The principle of separation of powers has become a mere constitutional embellishment, while courts, security forces and electoral bodies seem resigned to their role of subservience to the Frelimo party.

However, justice, which should be the pillar of equality and impartiality, has become a weapon to persecute opponents and protect their interests as always. The recent summons of Venâncio Mondlane by the Attorney General's Office (PGR) is a glaring example of this instrumentalization of the judiciary for political ends. While an opposition deputy is the target of investigations and institutional pressure, the former General Commander of the PRM, responsible for ordering the deaths of more than 500 defenseless people on the streets of the country, remains unaccounted for. How is it possible that a body that claims to defend legality and justice selects targets based on political expediency? This judicial selectivity is clear proof of the degradation of the system and its submission to the regime.

Even more alarming is the hypocritical stance of the judiciary itself, which constantly complains about the lack of freedom, but does not assert its need for independence. If judges and prosecutors recognize that they are suffering from political interference, why do they not denounce it and demand reforms? What we see is a sad spectacle of servility, where those who should guarantee the rule of law prefer to shirk their responsibilities and perpetuate oppression. The PGR should be a bastion of justice, but it has become an instrument of convenience for those in power, prosecuting opponents and ignoring crimes committed by the regime.

The population, tired of this farce, is demonstrating its dissatisfaction with a growing wave of disbelief and revolt. Fear is no longer enough to silence the voices of indignation. The demonstrations are a clear symptom of this collective fatigue, of this desire for structural change that can no longer be postponed. Mozambique has reached a turning point: either the political model is reformed, or it will sink into an abyss of ungovernability and chaos.

The world has seen this movie before. In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe managed to sustain his dictatorship for decades through the same strategy of state capture, until the country collapsed economically and politically. But there are also lessons of hope. Ghana, after years of military coups and authoritarian regimes, managed to rebuild its democracy with profound reforms that guaranteed the independence of institutions and allowed real changes of power. In Asia, Taiwan and South Korea have exemplified how authoritarian regimes can give way to vibrant democracies when society refuses to be held hostage by corrupt elites. Mozambique must decide which path it will follow: that of irreversible ruin or that of democratic renewal.

The solution requires concrete and urgent measures. Reform of the judicial system is urgent: courts must be independent, judges must be protected from political pressure and the Public Prosecutor's Office must act with complete autonomy. Security forces must be demilitarized and professionalized to serve the people, not the party. Public administration must be departisan, with appointments based on merit and not political loyalty. Civil society and the independent press must be strengthened to monitor and denounce abuses. Above all, a profound electoral reform is needed, which prevents fraud and gives citizens the power to choose their leaders.

The current model is obsolete, discredited and unsustainable. What we see today is no longer a legitimate government, but a system of control that survives only through manipulation and fear. No democracy can survive forever based on repression. Time is running out. Either Mozambique reinvents itself politically, or it will be consumed by inevitable collapse. The people have already given their verdict: they do not want this farce anymore. Change is not an option, it is a historical necessity.

2025/12/3