elections, albeit under severe constraints. To date, Mozambique has held three presidential and parliamentary elections, in 1994, 1999 and 2004 respectively, while two municipal elections were held in 1998 and 2003. Legislative and presidential elections were set for 2009. Civil and political rights have become deeply entrenched in the country due to the observance of constitutional guarantees. Participation by civil society in the development process and in building institutional capacity has stimulated the formulation and implementation of important national action plans, policies and programmes. Important safeguards exist that enable the media to operate and disseminate information freely, although access to information remains problematic. vi. Despite still facing enormous challenges, Mozambique today stands as a beacon of hope for other post-conflict countries, not only in Africa, but also across the world. These countries can glean useful lessons from Mozambique’s experience in political and economic management. vii. These successes notwithstanding, Mozambique remains to all intents and purposes a post-conflict society with all the associated challenges. It is still one of the poorest countries in the world with 54 per cent of the population finding themselves below the national poverty line. Moreover, the country ranked 173 out of 177 countries in the most recent Human Development Report (2007/08) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Although FRELIMO has been in power since independence, the country bears only the slightest resemblance to the vision they then proclaimed. 2. A SUMMARY OF FINDINGS IN THE THEMATIC AREAS 3.1 Democracy and Political Governance viii. Mozambique gained independence in 1975 after a protracted armed struggle against Portuguese colonial rule. For the next 16 years, the country fought a bitter civil war that ended with the signing of a General Peace Agreement (GPA) on 4 October 1992. Only once peace had been secured could the leaders concentrate fully on the socioeconomic development of the country and on promoting the political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights of the people. Mozambique’s political evolution since independence has therefore been shaped by the desire to consolidate peace; to see the economy grow rapidly; and to ensure that the basic necessities of the people are met within an expanding framework of rights, duties and responsibilities. ix. The national leadership has performed the balancing act reasonably well over the past 16 years. This has enabled the country to transit relatively smoothly from a one-party state of Marxist orientation into a multiparty, free market democracy. The government deserves much praise for the success achieved so far in trying to institutionalise democracy and political good governance, despite 2 A P R M COU N T RY R EV IEW R EP ORT NO. 11