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Vol 57 No 17

Published 26th August 2016


Angola

One-party stasis

Dos Santos increases his grip on the MPLA as a few new faces are admitted to the inner sanctum of power and wealth 

The only surprise from the seventh ordinary Congress of the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA), which ended on 20 August, was the complete absence of surprise. Although President José Eduardo dos Santos promised in March he would retire in 2018, instead of preparations for the succession, the congress only saw him consolidate his own and his family's grip on the party and the state. This was signalled first by his re-election with 99.6% of the votes as party leader. The only cloud over the three-day parade celebrating the President's 37 years in power came when veteran party stalwart and Agostinho Neto-era minister Ambrósio Lukoki summoned the press to his home to inveigh against 'fake leaders' the day before the congress opened.

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