As defined in the Universal Declaration of Democracy approved by the 161st session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Council held in September 1997 in Cairo (Egypt) – of which Mozambique was a member, democracy is a universally recognized ideal, a goal that is based on common values shared by the peoples of the world, regardless of cultural, political, social and economic differences. “It is, therefore, a basic right of citizenship, to be exercised in conditions of freedom, equality, transparency and responsibility, with due respect for the plurality of points of view, in the interest of the community”.