IFES Election Guide - Election Profile for Angola

Election Profile:

Overview

Results

Of Interest/Links

Sources

Country: Angola
Official Name: Republic of Angola
Election Type: Legislative
Date: September 5, 2008

Source for election date

At stake in this election:

220 seats in the National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional)

Description of government structure:

Chief of State: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS
Head of Government: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS
Assembly: Angola has a unicameral National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional) with 220 seats.

Description of electoral system:

The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 5-year term.
In the National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional) 220 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.***

*** Due to the civil war, elections were not held at four-year increments; the members elected in 1992 had their terms in office extended through July 15, 2008

Main parties in the electoral race:

Party: Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola - Workers' Party / Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola - Partido do Trabalho (MPLA)
Leader: Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS
Seats won in this election: 191
Seats won in last election: 129
Party: National Union for the Total Independence of Angola / União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (UNITA)
Leader: Isaias SAMAKUVA
Seats won in this election: 16
Seats won in last election: 70
Party: Social Renewal Party / Partido de Renovação Social (PRS)
Leader: Eduardo KUANGANA
Seats won in this election: 8
Seats won in last election: 6
Party: Angolan National Liberation Front / Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola (FNLA)****
Leader: Ngola KABANGU
Seats won in this election: 3
Seats won in last election: 5
Party: Liberal Democratic Party / Partido Liberal Democrático (PLD)
Leader: Anaila de Victoria PEREIRA
Seats won in this election: 0
Seats won in last election: 3
Coalition: New Democracy Electoral Union / Nova Democracia União Eleitoral (ND)
Leader: Quintino DE MOREIRA
Seats won in this election: 2
Seats won in last election: N/A

**** Angola's Constutional Court (TC) rulled in July 2008 that the FNLA faction led by Lucas NGONDA was illegal. As a result, KABANGU has been legitimated as party leader.