Angola’s political makeup (as of the MPLA’s victory in the elections of August 31, 2012)

Abstract

A country’s self-image combines visions of its past and its future. This is very much the case in Angola right now, with the main driving forces effectively the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA) [People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola] and President José Eduardo dos Santos (JES) and his “small committee’ of trusted advisors. In the wake of the country’s latest elections on August 31 2012, a new national and international legitimacy has emerged surrounding the President’s power and that of the MPLA, effectively expressed by the vote and a victory of around 70%. So far, a significant shift to Angola’s political makeup has yet to be perceived or predicted, with it constituting the basis of the status quo since the end of the Angolan Civil War in 2002. Without a profound rupture or change to its political makeup, evolution through continuity will form the ongoing scenario in Angola, and we will have to wait two or three years in order to gauge whether or not JES and the MPLA have frustrated Angolans’ expectations.