According to the constitution of 1991, Angola elected on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president was elected by the people for a five-year term (at most twice), by absolute majority - and if no candidate reached absolute majority, there had to be a second turn, with only the two most voted candidates running. The National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional) had 220 members, elected for a four year term, 130 members by proportional representation and 90 members in provincial districts. The parliamentary elections scheduled for 1997, according to the constitution, were delayed several times and were not conducted until September 2008, while Presidential elections were to be held at a later date. Meanwhile, a new constitution was adopted early in 2010, maintaining the rules for parliamentary elections, but stipulating that heretofore the president is no longer elected by the people, by but the National Assembly, and that as a principle he is always the president of the party that obtained the highest number of votes in the parliamentary elections.
Angola has at this stage (2011) to be classified as a one party dominant state. It is true that the "socialist" One-party state established at independence in 1975 was abandoned in 1991, and that the constitution adopted that year made all necessary provisions for a Multiparty democracy. In fact, well over 120 political parties presented themselves at the 1992 parliamentary elections, but the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola - Party of Labour (MPLA), which had been in power since independence, won the absolute majority. Moreover, its president (and then incumbent state president), José Eduardo dos Santos, obtained a relative majority in the simultaneous presidential election; although the constitution required a second turn in this case, this turn was never held because of the civil war, so that José Eduardo dos Santos stayed on in office. President and MPLA held on to their dominant role; however, shaken by a number of setbacks in the civil war, they agreed in 1998 to the formation of a Government of unity and national reconciliation (Governo de Unidade e Reconciliação Nacional, GURN), with the participation of ministers from the FNLA as well as National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). This seemed to open the way to an effective multiparty democracy. However, in the 2008 parliamentary elections the MPLA won 82% of the votes, with UNITA winning 10%, and the FNLA being reduced to 1%. The elections were characterized by several irregularities and can be described as only partly free but certainly not fair; nevertheless, their results were accepted by the opposition parties. On this basis, the MPLA imposed the adoption of a new constitution which not only changed the rules for the election of the state president (see above), but concentrated the main powers in the president and through a number of dispositions abolished the basic democratic principle of a division of powers. After an interlude of less than two decades, Angola is thus since 2008/2010 back to a dominant-party system which is very strongly presidentialist and does not fully obey to the fundamental tenets of democracy.
[edit] Last elections
[edit] 2008 Parliamentary election
e • d 5 September and 6 September 2008 National Assembly of Angola election results
| Party |
Votes |
% |
Seats |
+/- |
| Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola) |
4,414,738 |
81.64 |
191 |
+62 |
| National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola) |
559,972 |
10.39 |
16 |
-54 |
| Social Renewal Party (Partido da Renovação Social) |
172,298 |
3.17 |
8 |
+2 |
| New Democracy Electoral Union (Nova Democracia União Eleitoral) |
64,624 |
1.20 |
2 |
+2 |
| National Front for the Liberation of Angola (Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola) |
60,335 |
1.11 |
3 |
-2 |
| Democratic Party for Progress – Angolan National Alliance (Partido Democrático para Progresso – Aliança Nacional Angolana) |
27,552 |
0.51 |
— |
-1 |
| Liberal Democratic Party (Partido Liberal Democrático) |
17,880 |
0.33 |
— |
-3 |
| Democratic Angola – Coalition (Democratic Angola – Coalition) |
15,839 |
0.29 |
— |
-1 |
| Party for Democratic Support and Progress of Angola (Partido de Apoio Democrático e Progresso de Angola ) |
14,115 |
0.27 |
— |
0 |
| Front for Democracy (Frente para a Democracia) |
14,037 |
0.27 |
— |
0 |
| Party of the Alliance of Youth, Workers and Farmers of Angola (Partido da Aliança da Juventude, Operários e Camponeses de Angola) |
12,681 |
0.24 |
— |
-1 |
| Democratic Renewal Party (Partido Renovador Democrático) |
11,599 |
0.22 |
— |
-1 |
| Electoral Political Platform (Plataforma Política Eleitoral) |
9,840 |
0.19 |
— |
0 |
| Angolan Fraternal Forum Coalition (Fórum Fraternal Angolano Coligação) |
9,468 |
0.17 |
— |
0 |
| Valid votes |
6,450,407 |
89.42 |
|
| Invalid votes |
762,874 |
10.58 |
| Total: (turnout 87.36%) |
7,213,281 |
100.00 |
220 |
| Source: CNE, CNE, BBC |
[edit] Past elections
[edit] 1992 Presidential election
e • d Summary of the 29 and 30 September 1992 Angola presidential election results
| Candidate |
Party |
Votes |
% |
| José Eduardo dos Santos |
MPLA |
1,953,335 |
49.57 |
| Jonas Malheiro Savimbi |
UNITA |
1,579,298 |
40.07 |
| Antonio Alberto Neto |
Angolan Democratic Party |
85,249 |
2.16 |
| Holden Roberto |
National Front for the Liberation of Angola |
83,135 |
2.11 |
| Honorato Lando |
Liberal Democratic Party of Angola |
75.789 |
1.92 |
| Luis dos Pasos |
Democratic Renewal Party |
58,121 |
1.47 |
| Bengui Pedro João |
Social Democratic Party |
38,243 |
0.97 |
| Simão Cacete |
Front for Democracy |
26,385 |
0.67 |
| Daniel Chipenda |
Independent |
20,845 |
0.52 |
| Analia Pereira |
Liberal Democratic Party |
11,475 |
0.29 |
| Rui Pereira |
Social Renewal Party |
9,208 |
0.23 |
| Invalid/blank votes |
460,455 |
|
| Total |
4,401,339 |
100 |
| Source: Nohlen et al |
[edit] 1992 Parliamentary election
e • d 29 and 30 September 1992 National Assembly of Angola election results
| Party |
Votes |
% |
Seats |
| Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola) |
2,124,126 |
53.74 |
129 |
| National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola) |
1,347,636 |
34.10 |
70 |
| National Front for the Liberation of Angola (Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola) |
94,742 |
2.40 |
5 |
| Liberal Democratic Party (Partido Liberal Democrático) |
94,269 |
2.39 |
3 |
| Social Renewal Party (Partido Renovador Social) |
89,875 |
2.27 |
6 |
| Democratic Renewal Party (Partido Renovador Democrático) |
35,293 |
0.89 |
1 |
| AD-Coalition (AD-Coligação) |
34,166 |
0.86 |
1 |
| Social Democratic Party (Partido Social-Democrata) |
33,088 |
0.84 |
1 |
| Party of the Alliance of Youth, Workers and Farmers of Angola (Partido da Aliança da Juventude, Operários e Campesinos de Angola) |
13,924 |
0.35 |
1 |
| Angolan Democratic Forum (Fórum Democrático Angolano) |
12,038 |
0.30 |
1 |
| Democratic Progress Party/Angolan National Alliance Party (Partido Democrático para Progreso/Aliança Nacional Angolano) |
10,608 |
0.27 |
1 |
| Angolan National Democratic Party (Partido Nacional Democrático Angolano) |
10,281 |
0.26 |
1 |
| National Democratic Convention of Angola (Convenção Nacional Democrática de Angola) |
10,237 |
0.26 |
| Social Democratic Party of Angola (Partido Social Democratico de Angola) |
10,217 |
0.26 |
| Independent Angolan Party (Partido Angolano Independente) |
9,007 |
0.23 |
| Liberal Democratic Party of Angola (Partido Democrático Liberal de Angola) |
8,025 |
0.20 |
| Democratic Party of Angola (Partido Democrático de Angola) |
8,014 |
0.20 |
| Angolan Renewal Party (Partido Renovador Angolano) |
6,719 |
0.17 |
| Invalid/blank votes |
458,310 |
|
|
| Total |
4,410,575 |
100 |
220 |
| Source: Nohlen et al |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
