The National Alliance for a Free and Autonomous Mozambique (Anamola) party has filed petitions challenging the constitutionality and legality of the decree establishing the benefits granted to former Presidents of the Republic, announced its leader, Venâncio Mondlane, as reported this Tuesday, April 14, by the Lusa news agency.
According to the agency, the issue at hand is the Council of Ministers’ decree, dated March 23, which regulates the duties and rights of the President of the Republic after leaving office. According to Venâncio Mondlane, the decree constitutes an encroachment on the exclusive powers of the Assembly of the Republic by introducing new rights.
“The Council of Ministers has no authority to legislate on matters relating to the rights and duties of heads of state or former heads of state. This is an exclusive prerogative of the Assembly of the Republic,” the politician stated at a press conference held in Maputo.
The regulation, which took effect at the end of March, stipulates, among other things, that former presidents must uphold the principles enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic and contribute to the strengthening of citizenship. With regard to benefits, the regulation provides for the allocation of vehicles, a salary, health insurance, housing, as well as an annual 30-day vacation trip with first-class airfare, extended to the spouse and dependent children.
Venâncio Mondlane, who was a presidential candidate in 2024, indicated that the party submitted briefs to the Attorney General’s Office and the Ombudsman’s Office, with a view to their referral to the Constitutional Council, requesting a declaration of the decree’s unconstitutionality.
In the party’s view, Articles 13 and 14 of the decree constitute a disguised form of vacation allowance, as they provide for a 30-day period with rights associated with travel and support, which, according to Mondlane, “contradicts the system established by the Single Pay Scale (TSU) in the civil service.”
“Under the TSU, there are no vacation allowances in the civil service. This is, therefore, a contradiction with current legislation,” he argued.
In another petition addressed to the Attorney General’s Office, the party requests that President Daniel Chapo be summoned to disclose the specific schedule of allowances applicable to former heads of state, as provided for in the aforementioned decree.
“The decree refers to allowances but does not provide any schedule detailing them. We are dealing with allowances that are neither transparent nor publicly defined,” he stated.
The politician further argued that, since the President of the Republic’s salary is the highest benchmark in the civil service, there is no justification for a former head of state to receive benefits equivalent to those of the incumbent.
Venâncio Mondlane also criticized the expansion of perks for the ruling class, noting that this contrasts with the reality faced by various professional categories in the civil service who, despite having rights enshrined in law, continue to await their effective implementation.
Currently, Mozambique has three former Presidents of the Republic: Joaquim Chissano (1986–2005), Armando Guebuza (2005–2015), and Filipe Nyusi (2015–2025).
In addition to the aforementioned benefits, the decree also provides for the allocation of an office, protection and security ensured by the Military House, a survivor’s pension, exceptional compensation, housing support, transportation, medical and pharmaceutical care, as well as technical and support staff.
