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Election Date: September 5, 2008

At stake: National Assembly

Background

This Southwest African nation shares borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Zambia and Namibia.

Angola’s history has been marked by violent conflicts. A Portuguese colony, Angola was a major source of slaves sent to Brazil when it too was a Portuguese New World colony.

Portugal maintained its domination of Angola for four centuries. After World War II, an independence movement was crushed by the Portuguese army. Several groups assembled to rebel against the colonial power, such as the Marxist-minded Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA), and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).

In 1975, Angola finally became independent from Portugal following almost 15 years of all-out war with the Portuguese. The MPLA and leader Jose Eduardo Dos Santos led the final battle for independence and took control of the new government. The party—and the man—have held power since.

A different kind of conflict broke out just after Angola gained independence, as the country’s different political movements were eyed by the United States and the Soviet Union as proxy armies. Right at the height of the Cold War, the MPLA was backed by the Soviet Union and Cuba, while the anti-communist UNITA was supported by Washington.

In 1989, the last Cuban troops left Angola. Despite the end of the Cold War, the country’s political forces continued to behave more like organized armies. The ruling MPLA sought to open the door for a more democratic state with several political parties, but continued to fight UNITA. While the MPLA had control over the country’s resources via the government, UNITA controlled the vast majority of Angola’s lucrative diamond trade—which leader Jonas Savimbi used to recruit soldiers and maintain a well-armed organization.

In 1992, Angolans hoped for peace as open elections were called by the government. However, what was supposed to be the end of the one-party socialist rule turned into a new civil war. Dos Santos and his MPLA won the election, which was monitored and approved by the United Nations (UN). But Savimbi and UNITA cried foul and resumed their fight against the establishment.

In 1994, the UN led a peace effort in Angola known as the Lukasa peace accord. In 1997, UNITA and the MPLA agreed to be partners in a coalition government. The alliance did not survive Savimbi’s repeated violations of the agreements—such as his reluctance to dismantle his army—and the government fell apart in 1998. War resumed, and it would take another four years before a peace agreement was signed with UNITA again.

On Feb. 22, 2002, Savimbi was killed by government forces. On Apr. 4, UNITA leaders signed a ceasefire and gave up their arms. The group officially became Angola’s main opposition party.

It is estimated that over 500,000 people died during Angola’s 30-year civil war—although some accounts raise the toll to over 1 million—and close to 4 million residents fled the country. The country’s economy was completely ravaged. As recently as six years ago, hundreds of thousands of Angolans were facing starvation directly linked to poverty.

One more conflict continued to trouble the feeble peace of Angola. The separatist Front for the Liberation of the Cabinda Exclave (FLEC-FAC) fought for the independence of an area north of Angola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, until a peace deal was signed in 2006. Cabinda is crucial to Angola’s economy, as close to 65 per cent of its oil comes from there.

Angola is the second-largest oil producer in the region. It has been a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) since 2006.

The country remains one of the poorest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa today, though its economy has started to grow at a faster pace driven mainly by high oil prices. Dos Santos’ government has been accused of massive corruption linked to the profitable oil industry. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), more than $4 billion U.S. in oil receipts have vanished from Angola’s treasury in the last six years alone. The global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International rated Angola among the 10 most corrupt countries in the world in 2005.

China has a major economic presence in Angola. In 2004, the Chinese Eximbank approved a $2 billion U.S. line of credit to Angola, which has been used mostly to re-build infrastructure affected by the war.

Angola’s population of about 12.2 million is on average 17-years-old. The average life expectancy stands at a low 38 years. High mortality is due mainly to infectious diseases, and many other maladies stemming from untreated water and lack of sanitation.

The major ethnic groups in Angola are Ovimbundu (37%), Kimbundu (25%), Bakongo (13%), abd mestiço (mixed European and native African, 2%).

2008 National Assembly Election

Angola has not held a democratic process since 1992. The legislative election will take place on Sept. 5 and Sept. 6. A presidential election is expected to take place in 2009.

On Feb. 8, deputy prime minister Aguinaldo Jaime assured the business community in Portugal that Angola’s upcoming election would not represent a threat to political stability and double-digit economic growth, saying, "Is there a risk of returning to the past now that Angola is entering the second electoral process in its history? I don’t think so. Angola is living through a period of political and economic stability and that stability is a precious good for Angolans."

Jaime also issued a promising forecast, adding, "The official growth estimate is 24 percent in 2008. I don’t know if it will take place, but I would like to underline that Angola’s economy will continue to grow in a very robust fashion with double digit growth."

According to data from the Inter-ministerial Commission on the Electoral Process (CIPE), there are close to eight million registered voters. The registration process is still open as of early March.

Political Players

President: Jose Eduardo Dos Santos - MPLA
Prime minister: Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos

Legislative Branch: The National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional) has 220 members, elected to four-year terms; 130 members are elected by proportional representation and 90 members are elected in provincial districts.

Results of Last Election:

President - Sept. 29 and Sept. 30, 1992

National Assembly - Sept. 29 and Sept. 30, 1992

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