With more than 86% of the votes counted, the MPLA, the only formerly powerful party to rule Angola since 1975, leads with 52.08% of the vote, according to the Electoral Commission. But the opposition is on its way to achieving a historic result: the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, UNITA, has won 42.98% of the vote so far. The former rebellion, which brings together frustrated youth and youth forgotten by growth, is currently at the fore in the capital, Luanda.
There are no presidential elections in Angola. According to the constitution, the head of the party list winning the legislative elections is appointed as the head of state. In 2017, the MPLA won a comfortable victory with 61% of the vote, winning 150 of the 220 seats in parliament, more than the two-thirds needed to advance its bills without the support of another party. In 2012, he received 71.84% of the vote.
And observers had declared a narrow ballot this time, even if the outgoing president, 68, was the front-runner. The MPLA is losing momentum in a country rich in natural resources but which has been mired in serious economic difficulties. For its part, the opposition has grown stronger since the arrival of its 60-year-old leader, Adalberto Costa Jr. It also expanded its base by joining forces with many other parties.
“Don’t let them steal our hopes”Mr. Costa Jr. posted on Facebook after the partial results were announced. His party said last night that by their number, “The trend indicates the victory of UNITA in all the provinces of the country.”
The opposition and part of the public fear the possibility of fraud. But it was voted In compliance with international requirementsCPLP observers said at a press conference. “We are waiting for the real results, I still have hope”José Vieira Manuel, 28, an engineer in Luanda and a UNITA supporter, told AFP.
Transparency
Acting on promises of reform, an opponent known for being a good orator seduces an urban youth less closely associated with the MPLA than his elders and inherits a country undermined by decades of corruption under the presidency of José Eduardo dos Santos (1979-2017). Those between the ages of 10 and 24 make up a third of the former Portuguese colony’s population, according to United Nations data.
Dos Santos died last month in Spain, accused of embezzling billions for the benefit of his relatives. He will be buried on Sunday. About 14.4 million voters were called to vote on Wednesday. Eight parties compete.
“The MPLA has created opportunities for young people, there is more action and more transparency”said Madalena Antonio, 27, a trader from Luanda. A pure product of the party fed on Marxism-Leninism, João Lourenço, once elected, surprised by freeing himself from the system. He launched a massive anti-corruption campaign and implemented reforms, welcomed abroad, to get out of an oil-dependent economy.
But for a large part of the 33 million Angolans, not all promises have been kept. Many believe the anti-corruption campaign, which has fueled divisions within the party, amounts to a witch hunt for the dos Santos clan.
And in sub-Saharan Africa’s second oil-producing country, which is also one of the world’s largest diamond producers, poverty is still palpable. Nearly half of Angolans lived on less than $1.9 a day in 2020.
