Election Profile:

Flag of Angola 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 direct popular vote to serve a 5-year term.
  • In the National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional) 220 members are elected by party-list system with proportional distribution of seats 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.

Population and number of registered voters:

  • Population: 12,531,357 (July 2008 est.)
  • Registered Voters: 8,256,854 (September 2008 )

Last Updated on 12/28/2007