Elections to a Legislative Assembly were held for the first and only time in Portuguese Mozambique in March 1973.
Background On 2 May 1972 the Portuguese National Assembly passed the Organic Law for the Overseas Territories, which provided for greater autonomy for overseas territories. Mozambique was to have a 50-member Legislative Assembly, of which 20 would be elected. The remainder would be nominated by public services, religious groups and business groups.
Candidates were required to be Portuguese citizens who had lived in Mozambique for more than three years and be able to read and write Portuguese. Voters were required to be literate. As the Portuguese constitution banned political parties at the time, the majority of candidates were put forward by the ruling People's National Action movement, although some civic associations were allowed to nominate candidates.
Results Out of a total population of over eight million, only around 112,000 people were registered to vote. Voter turnout was around 92%. Of all the Portuguese colonies holding Legislative Assembly elections, Mozambique was the only one to have a non-white majority of its membership, with 26 of the 50 members being non-white.William Minter (1973) Portuguese Africa and the West, p169 The 26 non-white members included 18 Africans, three coloureds, three Indians, one Goan and one Chinese.
Elected members ConstituencyElected membersBeiraAlda da Conceição Dias Carreira de Moura AlmeidaTito Manuel JequeCabo DelgadoAtanásio Valério MuítoDomingos da Silva LealGazaAntónio Abrantes de OliveiraFilipe José MessanoInhambaneFelisberto Joaquim MachatineFrancisco Nelson Leal de LimaLourenço MarquesLeonardo Samissone BucuchaManuel João CorreiaMoçambiqueAbel Manuel PottManuel de Almeida SaraivaNiassaFrancisco José Gonçalves PiresMário UsseneTeteJoão António DiasJosé Boaventura da Conceição RibeiroVila PeryLuciano Henrique Nunes PereiraPaulo Otheniel DimeneZambeziaArquíssandás JugoldásRui Correia dos Santos Torres VougaSource: Esteves
Nominated members NominatorsNominated membersAdministrative bodiesand public utilityentitiesAbdool Magid Abdool Karin VakilInácio BragançaJoão José CraveirinhaJosé Palma PintoVictor Manuel Videira BarretoWaldemar Fernandes BotelhoCorporate organisationsrepresenting companiesand associationsof economic interestsJoaquim Francisco Valente Nunes de CarvalhoJorge de AbreuJosé Luís Bobella Nogueira de Sampayo Torres FevereiroRaul Teodomiro de Chaby Satúrio PiresRicardo Ferreira MartinsSalim IssáOrganisations representingmoral and cultural interestsArmando Rego da SilvaCarlos Jacinto Ferreira PóGilberto Lage TeixeiraGonçalo Castelo-Branco da Costa de Sousa Macedo MesquitelaHimlockJoaquim Pereira SoaresOrganisations representingworkersAlmor Fernandes de SousaAssahel Jonassane MazulaDomingos Vieira MartinsJoão Mateus JúnioJosé António MarranaManuel NobreRegional governmentsEduardo CunaEugénio PereiraFrancisco José CabralHorácio Pereira Uachisso ZualoJorge Adriano NampulaLuís Francisco MabundaSource: Esteves
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