Africa Monitor

Africa Monitor Intelligence

Angola: Lourenço Reinforces MPLA Ascendant Over Government

Unlike the 2017 election year, in which the then vice president (JL) and the SG (ANTÓNIO PAULO KASSOMA) coordinated the committee of candidates for MPs, with JOSÉ EDUARDO DOS SANTOS leading the party, currently the two figures (LD and PAULO POMBOLO) of the party hierarchy were set aside, although they exert some influence on the selection process, at the level of the lists of provincial circles.

The lists of candidates for MPLA MPs were entrusted to a committee headed by the secretary of the BP staff, MARIA ANGELA TEIXEIRA BRAGANÇA, assisted by the secretary for Political and Electoral Affairs, JOÃO DE ALMEIDA AZEVEDO MARTINS ("Jú") and the president of the parliamentary group, VIRGÍLIO de FONTES PEREIRA, the latter with the mission of evaluating the performance of the current MPs who may be reappointed.

JL instructed this committee to review the list by the national circle, reserving the first 10 names, which would be the exclusive competence of the party leader, together with the choice of the MPLA BP members, who will be able to integrate the lists of future parliamentarians. READ MORE