Angola
Angolan President to go for another term

afrol News, 4 February  - The ruling party of Angola, MPLA, has confirmed that incumbent President José Eduardo dos Santos will be its candidate for presidency in the upcoming elections. It however remains unclear when the elections will take place and who will run for the opposition and ex-rebels, UNITA.

Angola's MPLA party information secretary, Norberto dos Santos, told journalists in Caxito, just outside Luanda, President dos Santos continued to be the party’s "natural candidate" for the presidential polls. The Angolan President has been in power since 1979.

The ruling party however still was free to make possible "alterations in this domain," the MPLA spokesman said, meaning other persons could present themselves at the party congress to be held in December this year. Norberto dos Santos also made no doubts about his party's confidence in winning the next elections.

It however is unsure when the first free elections after the 27 years of civil war that ended last year will be held. Earlier signals given by the ruling party and the UNITA ex-rebels indicate that both are interested in waiting. A UNITA spokesman has said his party preferred elections to be held in 2006.

UNITA is in the middle of the process of transforming itself into an opposition party after organising its guerrilla warfare from the bush against the Luanda government for decades. The systematic violations against Angolan civilians during the civil war have not contributed to the movement's popularity, and early elections would probably end up as a landslide victory for the MPLA.

The UNITA party has also yet to create full-fledges party structures as it is trying to unite with the parliamentary group of UNITA-Renovada, a splitter group that opted for peace several years ago. A presidential candidate is not clear yet, but UNITA Secretary-General Paulo Lukamba ("the Cat") has been proposed.

Angola as a country is not believed to be ready for elections such a short time after the end of the war, the government and the opposition agree. Millions are still displaced and depend on external aid to survive. Angolans at large are more interested in ending the humanitarian crisis in the potentially rich country and strengthen the fragile human rights situation.

The government currently is negotiating with UNITA and other stakeholders on how to prepare for the upcoming elections. UNITA has urged changes to the constitution, a new electoral bill and the registration of new electoral lists. This would take year to accomplish, UNITA held.

Sources: Based on Angolan govt., press reports, UNITA and afrol archives

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