The current political regime in Angola is presidentialism,in which the President of the Republic is also head of state and government;it is advised by a Council of Ministers,which together with the President form the national executive power. Legislative power rests with the 220 parliamentarians elected to the National Assembly. The President of the Republic,together with the parliament,appoints the majority of the members of the two highest bodies of the judiciary,that is,the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court. The judiciary is still made up of the Court of Auditors and the Supreme Military Court.
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966,UNITA fought alongside the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in the Angolan War for Independence (1961–1975) and then against the MPLA in the ensuing civil war (1975–2002). The war was one of the most prominent Cold War proxy wars,with UNITA receiving military aid initially from People's Republic of China from 1966 until October 1975 and later from the United States and apartheid South Africa while the MPLA received support from the Soviet Union and its allies,especially Cuba.
Huambo,formerly Nova Lisboa,is the third-most populous city in Angola,after the capital city Luanda and Lubango,with a population of 595,304 in the city and a population of 713,134 in the municipality of Huambo. The city is the capital of the province of Huambo and is located about 220 km E from Benguela and 600 km SE from Luanda. Huambo is a main hub on the Caminho de Ferro de Benguela (CFB),which runs from the port of Lobito to the Democratic Republic of the Congo's southernmost province,Katanga. Huambo is served by the Albano Machado Airport.
Elections in Angola take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy. The National Assembly is directly elected by voters,while the leader of the party or coalition with the most seats in the National Assembly automatically becomes President.
Isaías Henrique Ngola Samakuva is an Angolan politician who was the President of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) from June 2003 to November 2019.
The Angolan Civil War was a civil war in Angola,beginning in 1975 and continuing,with interludes,until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. It was a power struggle between two former anti-colonial guerrilla movements,the communist People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the anti-communist National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).
Jerónimo Elavoko Wanga was a member of the Pan-African Parliament from Angola,beginning in 2004 till his death in 2007.
General Armindo Lucas Paulo Lukamba "Gato" led UNITA,a former anti-colonial movement that fought against the MPLA in the Angolan Civil War,from the death of António Dembo on March 3,2002 until he lost the 2003 leadership election to Isaías Samakuva.
Jeremias Kalandula Chitunda served as the Vice President of UNITA until his assassination in Luanda,as part of the Halloween Massacre shortly after the first round of the presidential election,held on September 29–30. He was UNITA's second in command,after UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi.
Legislative elections were held in Angola on 5 and 6 September 2008,as announced by President JoséEduardo dos Santos on 27 December 2007. They were the first since the 1992 general elections,which had led to the outbreak of the second phase of the Angolan Civil War,which continued until 2002.
The Alvor Agreement,signed on 15 January 1975 in Alvor,Portugal,granted Angola independence from Portugal on 11 November and formally ended the 13-year-long Angolan War of Independence.
Since its independence from Portugal in 1975,Angola has had three constitutions. The first came into force in 1975 as an "interim" measure;the second was approved in a 1992 referendum,and the third one was instituted in 2010.
Relations between Angola and South Africa in the post-apartheid era are quite strong as the ruling parties in both states,the African National Congress in South Africa and the MPLA in Angola,fought together during the Angolan Civil War and South African Border War. They fought against UNITA rebels,based in Angola,and the apartheid-era government in South Africa which supported them. Nelson Mandela mediated between the MPLA and UNITA during the final years of the Angolan Civil War. Although South Africa was preponderant in terms of relative capabilities during the late twentieth century,the recent growth of Angola has led to a more balanced relation.
In the 1990s in Angola,the last decade of the Angolan Civil War (1975–2002),the Angolan government transitioned from a nominally communist state to a nominally democratic one,a move made possible by political changes abroad and military victories at home. Namibia's declaration of independence,internationally recognized on April 1,eliminated the southwestern front of combat as South African forces withdrew to the east. The MPLA abolished the one-party system in June and rejected Marxist-Leninism at the MPLA's third Congress in December,formally changing the party's name from the MPLA-PT to the MPLA. The National Assembly passed law 12/91 in May 1991,coinciding with the withdrawal of the last Cuban troops,defining Angola as a "democratic state based on the rule of law" with a multi-party system.
The 55-day war was a battle in the city of Huambo between the rebel forces of UNITA led by Arlindo Pena and the MPLA-led Angolan government. The 55-day war lasted between 9 January 1993 and 6 March 1993,resulting in UNITA emerging victorious and the destruction of most of the city.
General elections were held in Angola on 31 August 2012 to elect the President and National Assembly. During campaigning,the opposition UNITA and its offshoot CASA-CE accused and criticised the government of corruption and called for greater transparency;this also led to protests and arrests the day before the election. These were the first elections after the new 2010 constitution was instituted.
The Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola –Electoral Coalition is a political alliance in Angola that currently includes five parties.
General elections were held in Angola on 24 August 2022 to elect the President and National Assembly. Incumbent president João Lourenço was eligible for one more term. The MPLA was re-elected with a reduced majority,winning 124 seats with 51% of the vote. The main opposition party,UNITA won 90 seats with 44% of the vote. The Social Renewal Party (PRS),the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) and the Humanist Party of Angola (PHA) each won two seats. The elections were the closest in Angolan history between the MPLA and UNITA.
