ANGOLA: PEOPLE LOST CONFIDENCE IN THE MPLA

The title of this article says it all, but if the truth be told is innacurate. The angolan population, a long time ago don’t trust on the MPLA.

These presidential elections only confirmed some of the scenarios that we have been emphasizing here.

The MPLA no longer represents the path and the solution that the Angolan people aspire to. The ordinary citizen urges changes aimed at meeting the most basic needs of the population. With so great potential the country has always been identified, it is painful and disgusting Angola to be the country with the highest infant mortality rate in the world. Basic needs are not "satiated" satisfactorily in most areas. Yet, this doesn’t seem to bother the Angolan MPLA elite.

After the National Electoral Commission (NEC) validated the electoral results, we had the confirmation the Government party is in decline and can only be held in power by artífices which are increasingly easily exposed.

- The NEC is at the service of the Government party;

- The same applies to the Constitutional Court;

- The counting of votes was manipulated;

- The opposition don’t accept the results justifiably and appealed to the competent bodies, calling for non-military intervention;

- It was recalled through facts that Jonas Savimbi in 1992, had accepted the election results;

- João Lourenço will continue to serve José Eduardo dos Santos’ (JES) interests.);

- And "got the qualified majority" a key for the MPLA to keep running the country at their pleasure;

- Isabel dos Santos and Zenu, sons of JES keep holding key positions in the Angolan economy;

- The Portuguese political class, for the most part, remains accomplice of the political farce the MPLA has been forging over the years.

These are some of the lessons one can draw from the Angolan elections. The farce and theft was exposed, however, fortunately we observed a more nonconformist opposition, at the same time espousing civility. We also acnowledged the  Angolans can’t stand such injustices any longer.

João Dias - Senior Consultant, Professor of International Relations