The current parliament has 250 members, who are directly elected through a system of party-list proportional representation and serve five-year terms. Parties must receive at least five percent of the vote nationally to gain parliamentary representation. The 250 members of the Assembly of the Republic are elected by proportional representation in eleven multi-member constituencies based on the country's ten provinces and the capital region, with district magnitude ranging from 14 to 45, and through first-past-the-post voting in two single-member constituencies representing Mozambican citizens in Africa and Europe. Seats in the multi-member constituencies are allocated using the d'Hondt method, with an electoral threshold of 5%
Parliamentary debates and business are conducted entirely in Portuguese. Three parties are represented in the parliament: FRELIMO, RENAMO and the Democratic Movement of Mozambique. After the 2014 election, RENAMO MPs have refused to take office, since the party considered the electoral act had been fraudulent, but they resumed their duties in February 2015.[2]
The President of the Assembly is the second-highest figure in the state hierarchy of Mozambique, and will replace the President of Mozambique in case of incapacity.[3] The permanent position of President of the Assembly was only established in 1986. Previously the position was filled by the President of the People's Republic of Mozambique.[4]
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