Wikipedia

2022 Angolan general election

General elections were held in Angola on 24 August 2022 to elect the President and National Assembly.[1] Incumbent president João Lourenço was eligible for one more term.[2] 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.[3][4] The elections were the closest in Angolan history between the MPLA and UNITA.[5]

2022 Angolan general election
Angola
← 2017 24 August 2022 2027 →
All 220 seats in the National Assembly
111 seats needed for a majority
Turnout44.82% (Decrease 33.31 pp)
Party Presidential candidate Vote % Seats +/–
MPLA João Lourenço 51.17 124 −26
UNITA Adalberto Costa Júnior 43.95 90 +39
PRS Benedito Daniel 1.14 2 0
FNLA Ngola Kabangu 1.06 2 +1
PHA Florbela Malaquias 1.02 2 +2
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
President before President after
João Lourenço
MPLA		 João Lourenço
MPLA

Background

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The MPLA has been in power since Angola gained independence in 1975. It had fought a civil war with UNITA until 2002.[5]

The previous elections held in 2017 saw the ruling MPLA win a landslide re-election, obtaining 61% of the vote. Although the party lost 25 seats, the MPLA retained its supermajority in the National Assembly, securing 150 seats. The largest opposition party, UNITA, won only 51 seats but did gain 19 with a 26% vote total. CASA—CE won 16 seats, the PRS won two and the FNLA secured one.[6] Following the election, UNITA accused the ruling party of engaging in electoral fraud and filed a lawsuit. However, the constitutional court dismissed UNITA's case at appeal.[7] The long-serving head of state, José Eduardo dos Santos, did not seek re-election to the presidency and was succeeded by defence minister João Lourenço.[8]

The election date was announced on 6 April 2022.[9]

Electoral system

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The 220 members of the National Assembly are elected by two methods: 90 are elected in 18 five-seat constituencies, using the d'Hondt method, while the remaining 130 are selected by proportional representation using closed lists, allocated proportionally to the nationwide results.[10][11] Voters must be at least 18 years old and not have an undischarged bankruptcy, criminal conviction, dual citizenship or have been declared insane. Candidates must be at least 35 years old.[10]

Each party nominates a candidate for President of Angola, who is both head of state and head of government, as the first entry on their list. The president is elected by double simultaneous vote – each vote for a party is automatically a vote for their nominee as president, who must be clearly stated on the ballot paper. The presidential candidate of the party receiving the most votes (first-past-the-post) is elected president, for the same term as the assembly. The president may serve a maximum of two terms in accordance with the 2010 constitution.[12][13]

Conduct

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Polling stations opened at 7 am and closed at 5 pm local time.[14][15] Local observers have said the election was free. Observers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) said that the vote was peaceful, but noted a lack of local observers. The observer mission of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries did not initially assess the vote as fair and free, as they claim some candidates were given more air times, party delegates did not have access to the roll at polling stations and around 2.7 million deceased were included in the roll. A European Union spokesperson stated the election was conducted peacefully, but they were aware of complaints on some shortcomings.[16] Regional and international election monitors that were led by the African Union have declared the election process was done in an adequate manner.[17]

Parties

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Eight parties were on the ballot in the elections:[18][19][20][21]

Party/Coalition Candidate 2017 result
Votes (%) Seats
MPLA People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola
Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola 		João Lourenço 61.1%
150 / 220
UNITA National Union for the Total Independence of Angola
União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola 		Adalberto Costa Júnior 26.7%
51 / 220
CASA–CE Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola – Electoral Coalition
Convergência Ampla de Salvação de Angola – Coligação Eleitoral 		Manuel Fernandes 9.5%
16 / 220
PRS Social Renewal Party
Partido de Renovação Social 		Benedito Daniel 1.4%
2 / 220
FNLA National Liberation Front of Angola
Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola 		Ngola Kabangu 0.9%
1 / 220
APN National Patriotic Alliance
Aliança Patriótica Nacional 		Quintino Moreira 0.5%
0 / 220
P-NJANGO Nationalist Party for Justice in Angola
Partido Nacionalista para a Justiça em Angola 		Dinho Chingunji — —
PHA Humanist Party of Angola
Partido Humanista de Angola 		Florbela Malaquias — —

Campaign

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On 5 October, the main opposition parties of Angola announced that they were forming a coalition named United Patriotic Front. Adalberto Costa Júnior of UNITA was nominated as FPU's candidate to challenge president João Lourenço in the August 2022 vote, group spokesman Amandio Capoco confirmed in Luanda.[22] Capoco described the alliance as "an alliance of Angolans eager for change".[23] Adalberto Costa Júnior responded by announcing that he is ready to challenge João Lourenço, "our homeland is crying out for change", describing a country "stricken by despair and by impoverishment".[24]

The campaign was also overshadowed by the death of former president José Eduardo dos Santos on 8 July 2022.[25] There was an ongoing feud between the dos Santos family and incumbent president João Lourenço, in which the family accused the president of persecution and demanded a pardon for several of dos Santos children in order for the body of José Eduardo dos Santos to return to Angola for burial.[26] As part of his anti-corruption campaign, some of the ex-presidents' supporters and members of his family have been sent to prison.[5]

Campaign issues included high levels of poverty and unemployment.[27] The country's oil wealth remains mostly in the hands of a few MPLA officials.[16] UNITA's candidate Costa Junior was popular among the youth, many of whom are unemployed.[28]

Party slogans

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Party or alliance Original slogan English translation Refs
MPLA « A força do Povo » "The strength of the people" [29]
UNITA « A hora é Agora » "The time is now" [30]
CASA–CE « Por Angola e pelos Angolanos » "For Angola and the Angolans" [31]
PRS « Confiante para governar Angola » "Confident to govern Angola" [32]
APN « Quintino de Moreira, o candidato certo » "Quintino de Moreira, the right candidate" [33]
P-NJANGO « O garante de uma nação justa » "The guarantor of a just nation" [34]
PHA « Humanizar Angola » "Humanize Angola" [35]

Opinion polls

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Graphical summary

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Polling

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Polling firm Fieldwork date Sample size MPLA UNITA CASA–CE PRS FNLA PRA JÁ BD O Lead
2022 general election 24 August 2022 — 51.2
124 		44.0
90 		0.8
0 		1.1
2 		1.1
2 		— — 1.8
2 		7.2
Sigma Dos 30 Jul–20 Aug 2022 6,967 53.6
122–130 		42.4
85–93 		1.7
1–3 		0.5
0–1 		0.3
0 		— — 1.5
1–3 		11.2
AngoBarómetro 9–15 Aug 2022 4,198 30.4 56.3 6.0 4.0 1.1 — — 2.2 25.9
MovimentoCívicoMudei[a] 11 August 2022 987 27.9 54.1 7.9 2.9 2.6 — — 4.6 26.2
Angopolls 15–22 Jul 2022 1,085 59.0 33.0 — — — — — 8.0 26.0
POB Brasil 16–21 Jul 2022 1,500 62.0 33.0 — — — — — 5.0 29.0
MovimentoCívicoMudei[b] 5–17 Jul 2022 907 29.8 53.7 7.6 4.1 2.2 — — 2.6 23.9
AngoBarómetro 11–16 Jul 2022 1,460 34.6 53.8 5.2 3.9 1.4 — — 1.2 19.2
AngoBarómetro 15–24 Jun 2022 1,302 31.6 51.2 6.6 5.8 2.1 — — 2.7 19.6
MovimentoCívicoMudei Jun 2022 934 33.2 54.0 5.6 3.8 2.6 — — 0.8 20.8
MovimentoCívicoMudei May 2022 884 33.8 53.7 7.4 3.0 1.5 — — 0.6 19.9
MovimentoCívicoMudei 9–11 Apr 2022 884 31.5 54.5 6.7 3.7 1.2 — — 2.4 23.0
MovimentoCívicoMudei 11–15 Mar 2022 775 29.6 59.2 — — — — — 11.7 29.6
Afrobarometer 9 Feb–8 Mar 2022 1,200 29 22 1 — — — — 48[c] 7
AngoBarómetro 29 Jan–7 Feb 2022 4,138 28.4 60.0 2.3 4.6 1.2 — 3.5 — 31.6
AngoBarómetro 20–23 Nov 2021 1,095 30.14 53.42 1.37 4.11 — 2.74 8.22 — 23.3
AngoBarómetro 1–9 Aug 2021 1,632 35.2 58.2 3.6 3.1 0.0 — — — 23.0
AngoBarómetro Feb 2021 1,050 37.7 58.9 — — — — — 3.4 21.2
Afrobarometer 2019 1,200 38 13 2 — — — — 47[d] 25
2017 general election 23 August 2017 — 61.1
150 		26.7
51 		9.5
16 		1.3
2 		0.9
1 		— — 0.5
0 		34.4

Results

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The MPLA received 51% of the vote, and UNITA 44%. No other party received more than 1.2%. All 90 constituency seats went to the two largest parties, with the MPLA winning 57, mostly in the central and south regions, while UNITA won 33, being strongest in the north-west. Of the nationwide seats, MPLA won 67 and UNITA 57, while the PRS, FNLA and PHA won two seats each. The vote for CASA-CE collapsed; having received 9% of the vote in the previous elections in 2017, they received just 0.8% and lost all 16 of the seats they previously held.[36]

 
PartyPresidential candidateVotes%Seats+/–
MPLAJoão Lourenço3,209,42951.17124−26
UNITAAdalberto Costa Júnior2,756,78643.9590+39
Social Renewal PartyBenedito Daniel71,3511.1420
National Liberation Front of AngolaNgola Kabangu66,3371.062+1
Humanist Party of AngolaFlorbela Malaquias63,7491.022New
CASA–CEManuel Fernandes47,4460.760−16
National Patriotic AllianceQuintino Moreira30,1390.4800
Nationalist Party for Justice in AngolaDinho Chingunji26,8670.430New
Total6,272,104100.002200
Valid votes6,272,10497.18
Invalid votes74,2591.15
Blank votes107,7461.67
Total votes6,454,109100.00
Registered voters/turnout14,399,39144.82
Source: National Electoral Commission[36]

By constituency

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Constituency % S % S % S % S % S Total
s
MPLA UNITA PRS FNLA PHA
Bengo 55.4 3 39.2 2 0.8 - 1.7 - 1.0 - 5
Benguela 54.4 3 42.3 2 0.6 - 0.6 - 1.0 - 5
Bié 60.5 3 35.3 2 0.9 - 0.8 - 1.2 - 5
Cabinda 26.4 1 68.6 4 1.1 - 1.0 - 0.9 - 5
Cuando Cubango 69.1 4 26.7 1 0.9 - 0.7 - 0.9 - 5
Cuanza Norte 60.7 3 32.5 2 1.2 - 1.7 - 1.3 - 5
Cuanza Sul 68.0 4 27.2 1 0.9 - 1.0 - 1.4 - 5
Cunene 82.9 5 14.4 - 0.6 - 0.5 - 0.7 - 5
Huambo 56.9 3 39.0 2 0.9 - 0.7 - 0.9 - 5
Huíla 69.2 4 27.2 1 0.8 - 0.6 - 0.9 - 5
Luanda 33.3 2 62.6 3 0.5 - 0.9 - 1.0 - 5
Lunda Norte 56.3 3 33.6 2 5.5 - 1.3 - 0.9 - 5
Lunda Sul 52.5 3 34.4 2 10.6 - 0.6 - 0.6 - 5
Malanje 61.2 3 32.9 2 1.4 - 1.0 - 1.3 - 5
Moxico 68.0 4 26.6 1 2.0 - 1.0 - 0.8 - 5
Namibe 65.6 4 30.7 1 0.7 - 0.6 - 0.7 - 5
Uíge 57.6 3 35.3 2 1.4 - 1.9 - 1.3 - 5
Zaire 36.3 2 52.1 3 0.8 - 7.3 - 1.0 - 5
Overseas Angolans 50.5 - 46.8 - 0.2 - 0.6 - 0.8 - -
Nationwide 67 57 2 2 2 130
Total 51.2 124 44.0 90 1.1 2 1.1 2 1.0 2 220
Source: National Electoral Commission[36]

Reactions

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The United States urged all parties to express themselves peacefully and resolve grievances in accordance with the law.[16]

The European Union said stakeholders should use legal remedies to address their concerns and called on the authorities to respond to them fairly and transparently.[16]

The Portuguese Communist Party congratulated the MPLA on the victory and stated that they have the minimum support needed to govern. They warned of "interference operations from Portugal".[37]

The Left Bloc in Portugal considered the results to be a serious warning to the MPLA regime, despite obtaining the majority.[37]

Chega considered the elections a wasted opportunity for change and condemned the MPLA-led government for not alleviating poverty, corruption, and for the slow rates of development in Angola. They have also criticised the presence of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at ex-president Santos' funeral.[37]

Namibian president and SADC chair Hage Geingob congratulated president Lorenço and the MPLA on their re-election. Geingob praised the electoral process as peaceful and "consistent with the revised SADC principles and guidelines governing democratic elections and the relevant laws of Angola".[38]

Aftermath

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UNITA rejected the results and stated it would challenge them. The party complained about a lack of transparency and results not matching their own tallies.[39][16] In Angola, election results can be disputed by lodging a complaint with the National Electoral Commission, and if rejected, they can then be brought to the Constitutional Court which must rule within 72 hours.[16]

Lourenço pledged to continue with reforms, including privatising state assets and stopping corruption after investigating the Dos Santos family.[16] He also promised to diversify the economy, create more jobs, modernize education and expand the healthcare system. He says that MPLA won legitimately and that the election was free, fair and transparent.[40]

Several vehicles were set on fire and ten people injured when MPLA supporters attacked a UNITA office on 3 September 2022.[41]

After the Constitutional Court rejected the appeal of the results, UNITA called for public protests against the MPLA.[42]

Notes

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  1. ^ Results presented here exclude Blank/Invalid/Protest votes (5.3%). With their inclusion results are: UNITA: 51.2%; MPLA: 26.4%; CASA–CE: 7.5%; PRS: 2.7%; FNLA: 2.5%; APN: 1.8%; Others: 2.5%.
  2. ^ Results presented here exclude Blank/Invalid/Protest votes (6.5%). With their inclusion results are: UNITA: 50.2%; MPLA: 27.9%; CASA–CE: 7.1%; PRS: 3.8%; FNLA: 2.1%; APN: 0.9%; Others: 1.7%.
  3. ^ Others: 1%; Refused to respond: 31%; Undecided: 9%; Would not vote: 6%
  4. ^ Others: 2%; Refused to respond: 25%; Undecided: 7%; Would not vote: 14%

References

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  1. ^ "Angola Sets August 24 Election Date". Barron's. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Angola's President João Lourenço tries to pull off a tricky balancing act". The Africa Report. 11 May 2021. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Angola's president set for second term as ruling party leads vote". France24. 25 August 2022. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Resultados" (in Portuguese). CNE. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Angola election: The MPLA defeats Unita in closest-ever election". BBC News. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Republic of Angola". Election Guide. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Angola's Constitution Court rejects appeal to annul election results". The Standard. Luanda. 14 September 2017. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  8. ^ Salvaterra, Neanda; Steinhauser, Gabriele (24 August 2017). "João Lourenço to Become Angola's First New President in 38 Years". The Wall Street Journal. Luanda. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  9. ^ Ray, Charles (25 July 2022). "Presidential Election Up for Grabs in Angola". Foreign Policy Research Institute. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b Electoral system Archived 3 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine IPU
  11. ^ Lei Orgânica sobre as Eleições Gerais n.º 36/11, de 21 de Dezembro Archived 17 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine CNE
  12. ^ "Angola's Constitution of 2010" (PDF). Oxford Constitutional Law (Oxford University Press). 6 June 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  13. ^ "Constituição da Républica de Angola" (PDF) (in Portuguese). World Intellectual Property Organisation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  14. ^ "Angolans vote for president in tightest ever race". eNCA. Luanda. 24 August 2022. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
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  16. ^ a b c d e f g Cocks, Tim; Demony, Catarina (29 August 2022). Guarascio, Francesco; Macfie, Nick; Russell, Ros (eds.). "Angola's Governing Party Wins Divisive Election Extending Long Rule". U.S. News. Reuters. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  17. ^ "An unofficial tally exposes Angola's dodgy election". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  18. ^ "Conheça as posições dos partidos no Boletim de Voto das Eleições de 24 de Agosto". Jornal de Angola. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Angola: Uma mulher na corrida à Presidência da República". Deutsche Welle (in Portuguese). 30 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  20. ^ "P-Njango liderado por Eduardo Chingunji quer eleger entre 8 e 30 deputados". Angola24horas (in Portuguese). 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  21. ^ "APN quer firmar sua base eleitoral em Angola". Deutsche Welle (in Portuguese). 23 April 2022. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  22. ^ "Angola Opposition Parties Unite to Challenge MPLA's 46-Year Rule". www.bloomberg.com. 5 October 2021. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  23. ^ Mendes, Candido (5 October 2021). "Angola Opposition Parties Unite to Challenge MPLA's 46-Year Rule". BloombergQuint. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Angola's opposition parties form coalition". Africanews. 6 October 2021. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  25. ^ "José Eduardo dos Santos, Longtime Angolan Ruler, Dies at 79". New York Times. 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  26. ^ "Dos Santos Family Demands Pardon After Angolan Ex-Leader's Death". Bloomberg. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Angola election: Long-dominant MPLA faces tough Unita challenge". BBC News. 23 August 2022. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  28. ^ Busari, Stephanie; Princewill, Nimi (29 August 2022). "Angola's ruling party extends 47-year streak with election win". CNN. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  29. ^ "MPLA Facebook Eleições 2022". MPLA (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  30. ^ "UNITA Facebook Eleições 2022". UNITA (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  31. ^ "CASA-CE celebra décimo aniversário com foco na vitória nas eleições gerais". Deutsche Welle (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  32. ^ "PRS Facebook Eleições 2022". PRS (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  33. ^ "APN Facebook Eleições 2022". APN (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  34. ^ "P-NJANGO Facebook Eleições 2022". P-NJANGO (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  35. ^ "PHA pede a população para votar na líder". Jornal de Angola (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  36. ^ a b c "Difusão de Resultados". Archived from the original on 30 August 2022.
  37. ^ a b c ""Operações de ingerência", "mínimos para governar" e "oportunidade" desperdiçada. As reacções dos partidos portugueses". Público (in Portuguese). 29 August 2022. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  38. ^ "Geingob congratulates Lourenço on re-election". The Namibian. 30 August 2022. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  39. ^ Yusuf, Mohammed (26 August 2022). "Angola's President Retains His Seat Following a Tight Election". Voice of America. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  40. ^ Guimarães, Maria João; Pequenino, Karla (29 August 2022). ""Não temos necessidade de nenhuma geringonça", diz João Lourenço. "Vencemos legitimamente"". Público. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  41. ^ "Angola's opposition office 'attacked' amid political tensions". The Citizen. Agence France-Presse. 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  42. ^ "Angola court rejects poll result appeal, opposition urges protest". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
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