POST-ELECTION OUTLOOK
Angola has some of the ingredients needed for an economic miracle
President-elect Lourenço has endorsed an ambitious plan to build on stability achieved since the civil war
Angola’s fourth democratic elections resulted in the governing party, the MPLA, emerging victorious with 61% of the vote and the historic transfer of power to 63-year-old João Lourenço, the former defence minister, who will become the third president of Angola. Opposition parties Unita and Casa-SE won 26.7% and 9.5%, respectively, thus increasing their representation in the soon-to-be reconstituted National Assembly. The 2017 elections marked the end of an era and set a precedent in Angola — a sterling example that many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa can learn from, particularly considering Angola’s own painful past. President Jose Eduardo dos Santos will be remembered for being Angola’s architect of peace and social reintegration after three decades of political instability and strife. His legacy will be encrusted with yet another jewel, having willingly bequeathed his presidency to Lourenço, a trusted compatriot during almost four decades of Dos Santos rule. The significanc...
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