- Angola's main opposition party has marched out the of parliament on Wednesday, to show disapproval of the proposed constitution that will strengthen the three decades-long rule of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. The final vote on the document as a whole is due on Thursday.
The Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) parliamentarians have reportedly walked out of the National Assembly denouncing the constitutional process saying it is illegal and fraudulent and refusing to take part in a vote.
The new constitution will keep the president as head of government and the armed forces but replace the prime minister with a vice president, ensuring the presidency has greater control.
It will also let President dos Santos keep power without a direct ballot because the president is chosen as the leader of the party that wins the 80 percent of the vote for parliament.
UNITA also disputes proposed laws over land ownership and national symbols like the county's flag.
The proposed constitution was drafted by a commission tasked with compiling ideas from all of Angola's parliamentary parties. The ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) had an 81 percent majority on the commission, as it does in parliament.
Analysts have suggested the government is rushing the vote, which was not expected until March, in a bid to stifle debate as the country is currently hosting the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament.
President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has been in power for 30 years, but has only faced an election once, in 1992 that triggered a new phase in Angola's civil war, with the country’s main opposition party UNITA claiming widespread rigging.
UNITA has been highly critical of the reform process and the indirect election idea, which President dos Santos suggested himself during a public press conference.
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party won a landslide victory in 2008.
The lack of visibility over the presidency has been a source of political and economic uncertainty in the Southern African nation.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español