Ten organisations were included in the evaluation, applying the principle of continuity, by including some organisations that were part of previous evaluations, carried out in 2018 as well as some from 2016 and 2017. It should be borne in mind that there was no evaluation on open and secret organisations in 2019. The continuity factor of the evaluation made it possible to monitor and analyse the degree of learning, a product not only of the passage of time, but also of initiatives carried out by MISA Mozambique. In some of these, as was the case of Moçambique Celular, MISA Mozambique carried out lobbying actions, as it also did in the case of the City of Matola, which in 2018 was awarded the distinction of the ‘most secret institution’ (golden padlock). The entire process of evaluating organisations was informed and bounded by the Mozambican legal framework governing access to information and making information available. This study was carried out after an intense period in Mozambican politics, namely the holding of the 2018 local elections and the 2019 legislative, presidential and provincial elections. As a result of these political processes, structures of government have changed profoundly. A sustainable peace negotiation process between the Government of Mozambique and the Renamo party resulted in yet another amendment to the 2004 Constitution to accommodate a new form of local government. A major amendment pertains to changes to the way in which Provincial Governors are appointed, henceforth being elected through the Provincial Assemblies. A new State Representation body was created at provincial level, namely the Provincial Secretariat of State. These structures of government contributed to the creation of an environment of uncertainty about forums for making information available. At the local level, the remit of the powers of the Provincial Government, the Secretary of State and the Municipalities are confusing not only to these local government structures, but to the citizen, as to where to request specific information about what procedures. METHODOLOGY The research on open and secret organisations follows a basic cross-methodology criterion. Basically, it has two fundamental guidelines addressing: (i) the assessment of the organisations’ websites based on the idea that all organisations have a mechanism for proactive delivery of information and to handle requests for information. In this regard, the research consisted of monitoring the organisations’ websites for 21 days (time frame defined in law for government organisations to respond to requests); (ii) the information request form addressed to the organisation. The purpose of the forms is twofold, serving to capture the nature of handling requests for information and to log observations during face-to-face visits on-site. Over and above changes to the structures of local government, the elections brought about changes in the leadership of organisations, both at the level of local bodies as well as at the central level, such as the appointment of, for example, new ministers, and other changes resulting from new appointments. In a situation characterised by a low level of organisational entrenchment of principles of governance and, above all, excessive centralisation in leadership structures, these changes strongly alter the nature of their functioning. These changes influence the functioning of organisations and their relationship with the citizen. Despite the existence of the forms, there was a need for adaptations according to the legal framework governing the management and release of information in Mozambique. In this respect, the study started with desk research of the legal framework to define the limits and adjustment of the evaluation parameters according to the specifications of the Mozambican framework of access, management procedure and proactive provision of information of public interest. This methodology was complemented by a review of the literature on experiences of similar assessments. The findings of the survey will help MISA design more intervention actions to improve the implementation of LEDI and the procedures for making information of public interest available. Five years after the enactment of the law, there is every interest in understanding the most significant changes in the process, the best practices to be reproduced and strengthened to improve the transparency of public organisations, enabling better access to information and exploring new technologies. The basic assumption is that Democratic Rule of Law must assert itself through the exercise of transparency and the provision of information as basic principles for citizen participation in public life. RETURN TO CONTENTS PAGE Once the research framework was defined and, more importantly, the parameters were specified, ten public organisations were selected from among national and local entities, including enterprises in which the State is a shareholder. 82 MOZAMBIQUE RATIONALE AND RESEARCH PARAMETERS