Luanda: Angolans voted on Wednesday in an election marking the end of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos’s 38-year reign, with his MPLA party set to retain power despite an economic crisis.
The MPLA, which has ruled since Angola’s independence from Portugal in 1975, is expected to defeat opposition parties.
Dos Santos’s unexpected retirement — reportedly prompted by poor health — has triggered the biggest political transition in decades for Angola, a leading African oil exporter.
His chosen successor, however, is Joao Lourenco, a party loyalist who served defence minister until last month.
Lourenco is expected to avoid immediate change in a government often criticised for corruption and its failure to tackle dire poverty.
“I am calm, I am going to stay calmly at home while waiting for my party colleagues to inform me of the results,” he said after voting in Luanda, adding that the election was “going smoothly.”
Dos Santos’s long reign has seen the end of Angola’s bloody civil war that lasted from 1975 to 2002, and a post-conflict investment boom as the country exploited its oil reserves.
Lourenco, 63, has vowed to boost foreign investment, and said he wants to be recognised as the man who brought an “economic miracle” to Angola.
At a weekend rally in front of thousands of MPLA (People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola) supporters, Dos Santos made a brief appearance to endorse Lourenco.
“Dos Santos brought forward his departure to after these elections due to his deteriorating health,” Alex Vines, of the Chatham House think-tank in London, said.
“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.”
Dos Santos has been dogged by reports of illness, with his regular visits to Spain for “private” reasons fuelling criticism that the state of his health was being hidden from ordinary Angolans.
The MPLA, which won 72 per cent in the 2012 election, has funded a rush of infrastructure projects, apparently to shore up support levels among Angola’s 9.3 million registered voters.
Polls were due to close at 6:00 pm (1700 GMT) with early results expected by Friday. — AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
