Angola to elect new president Eduardo dos Santos
Eduardo dos Santos

Eduardo dos Santos

LUANDA. – Angola goes to the polls today in a historic election, marking the end of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos’ 38-year reign, with his party set to retain power despite the country’s economic challenges. This is Angola’s fourth election since the return to multi-party democracy in 1992 after years of civil war that ended with the signing of an accord in 1991.

President dos Santos announced on Monday a day off for today, ahead of the elections under the Constitution and election laws.

This is contained in a Press release issued by the Civil Affairs Office of President of Republic, stressing that the day off will not cover the shift workers.

The source added that shift employees must be given a time off in order to vote, in accordance with the legislation in force. Six parties are running for the August 23 elections.

They are the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), UNITA, PRS, FNLA and APN, as well as CASA-CE coalition

The National Electoral Commission of Angola (CNE) put up 12,512 polling stations and 25 873 polling tables countrywide. At least 9.3 million eligible voters are expected to vote in today’s general elections. The MPLA, which has ruled the country since its 1975 independence from Portugal, is expected to defeat opposition parties.

President dos Santos’s retirement – reportedly prompted by ill-health – has triggered the biggest political transition in decades for Angola, a leading oil-exporter in Africa.

His chosen successor is Defence Minister Joao Lourenco.

“Dos Santos brought forward his departure to after these elections due to his deteriorating health,” Alex Vines, of the Chatham House think-tank, told AFP news agency.

“Lourenco is an ideal transitional successor to dos Santos. He is respected by the military and has not lived a flamboyant lifestyle of many others.”

At a weekend rally in front of thousands of MPLA party supporters, President dos Santos (74), made a brief appearance to endorse the likely new president.

“We have no doubt about the victory of the MPLA, and our candidate will be the future president, which is why I ask you: August 23 (today), vote MPLA . . . and Joao Lourenco,” he said.

President dos Santos has been dogged by reports of illness and his regular visits to Spain for “private” reasons fuelled criticism that his health status was being hidden from ordinary Angolans.

Earlier this year, his daughter Isabel – who has become a billionaire and Africa’s richest businesswoman under his rule – was forced to deny rumours he had died in Spain.

President dos Santos’ long rule has seen the end of Angola’s bloody civil war that lasted from 1975 to 2002, and he has presided over a post-war investment boom as the country exploited its oil reserves.

Opposition parties, who have a low profile due to restrictions on their activities and lack of finance, have sought to tap into public anger at the government.

With Savimbi and his deputy killed in the course of the civil war, the onus fell on Isias Samakuva, who has led the party since 2003. He is a candidate in the August 23 polls – his third shot at the seat.

Samakuva (71), took over National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) after long time rebel leader Jonas Savimbi was killed in 2002, a death that marked the beginning of the end of a 27-year civil war.

“You who are suffering, you who are in poverty, without electricity, without jobs or nothing to eat – change is now,” Samakuva, presidential candidate for the main opposition UNITA party told supporters on the campaign trail.

Lourenco (63), has focused in his campaign speeches on vowing to “fight against corruption”, “create jobs” and “make Angola better”.

Meanwhile, one of the opposition parties, CASA-CE, said on Monday it will use a computer programme to minimise the chances of ballot-rigging in today’s election.

The country’s main two opposition parties, UNITA and Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola – Electoral Coalition (CASA-CE), have complained of irregularities in the electoral process.

CASA-CE’s programme, presented to the media in Luanda on Monday, will calculate results based on data from delegates at polling stations.

This will enable them to pick up potential discrepancies, such as between votes cast and numbers of registered voters at polling stations, its supporters said.

However, a spokesperson for the National Electoral Commission (CNE), which has promised the vote will be fair, had no immediate comment to make.

“Our system will not just allow us to verify the process, but Angolans and the world over can verify what is happening here,” said Leonel Gomes, secretary general of the CASA-CE.

It remained unclear whether the electoral commission will release results to party delegates at polling stations or process them regionally.

With Angola in the midst of an economic crisis caused by a fall in oil prices, opposition parties sense a political opportunity. – News Agencies.

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