Luanda – With a total of 14.399 million voters, of whom 22,560 are based in 12 foreign countries, Angola holds, on 24 August, the fifth elections in its history, after 27 years of war.
This year’s polls will be the third in a row, after those in 2008, 2012 and 2017, which confirmed the irreversibility of the electoral processes in the country, leaving behind the uncertainties after the 1992 elections.
The first multiparty elections took place on the 29th and 30th of September 1992, to elect the President of the Republic (presidential) and the MPs of Parliament (legislative), after the signing of the Bicesse Accords.
Bicesse (Portugal) peace agreements were signed by the Government and UNITA in May 1991, putting an end to an armed conflict that had lasted 16 years.
According to available data, voter turnout was 91.3% for parliamentarians and 91.2% for presidential elections.
The numbers show that 4.8 million voters went to the polls in this suffrage, which had the participation of 17 political parties and a coalition of political parties.
For the legislative elections, the contending political parties vied for 220 seats in the National Assembly.
According to the results released by the then National Council of Elections, there would be a need for a second round of the presidential elections, between José Eduardo dos Santos, leader of the MPLA, with 49% of the votes, and Jonas Savimbi, leader of UNITA, with 41%.
Specifically, the final results dictated that José Eduardo dos Santos, candidate for the MPLA, took first place, with 1.8 million votes (49.57 percent), followed by UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi, who obtained 1.5 million votes (40.07 percent).
However, the second round never took place, because of the return of the war.
In total, there were 12 candidates in the presidential elections, one of whom, Mfulumpinga Nlando Víctor, who decided to withdraw after the ballot papers to had been printed.
As for the legislative, the MPLA got a total of 1.9 million votes (53.7 percent), winning 129 parliamentary seats, followed by UNITA, which managed 1.2 million votes (34.1 percent), corresponding to 70 seats.
For the National Assembly there were 11 political parties and the only coalition that ran for suffrage, the Democratic Alliance-Coalition (AD-Coalition).
2008
The second general elections were held on September 5, 2008, with a universe of 8.2 million voters. Of this number, 6.1 million voters attended the polls (12.5% abstention).
Unlike the 1992 polls, the 2008 elections were only legislative, that is, for the election of MPs to the National Assembly (AN).
A total of 14 political parties participated in the suffrage, won by the MPLA, with 81% of the votes (191 MPs), followed by UNITA, with 10.39% (16), PRS 3.17% (08), New Democracy (ND ) 1.20% (0) and FNLA 1.11 (03).
The remaining political parties, namely PLD, FPD, PDP-ANA, PPE, PAJOCA, FOFAC, PADEPA, PRD and AD, did not elect any member to National Assembly.
2012
The third general elections were held on August 31, 2012, under the new Constitution of the Republic, approved in 2010 by the National Assembly.
Since then, the President of the Republic (head-of-list of the most voted party) and MPs to the National Assembly have been elected simultaneously.
With an abstention of 37%, 9. 7 million voters went to the polls.
Once again, the MPLA won, with 71.84% (175 MPs), and consequently elected its head of the list, José Eduardo dos Santos, for the position of President of the Republic.
UNITA ranked second with 18.66% (32 MPs), the Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola-Electoral Coalition (CASA-CE), 6.00% (08), PRS 1. 70% (03) and the FNLA, 1. 13% (02).
Meanwhile, the ND (New Democracy), the PAPOD (Popular Party for Development), the FUMA (United Front for Angola Change) and the CPO (Political Council of the Opposition) did not elect any member for the Parliament.
2017
Meanwhile, on August 23, 2017, the country held its fourth general election, with the participation of 9.3 million voters.
Of this number, only 7.093 million voters attended the polling stations, with the abstention rate standing at 13.80%.
According to the final results, the MPLA won, with 61.08% of the valid votes, electing João Lourenço as the new President of the Republic of Angola.
UNITA got 26.67% (51 MPs), CASA-CE 9.44% (16), PRS 1.35% (02), FNLA 0.93% and the National Patriotic Alliance (APN) 0.51%, the last without electing any member to the National Assembly.
Source: Angola Press News Agency