Luandan president to step down ahead of elections in August
Joao Lourenco is the candidate who will run in place of autocratic Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has ruled for 37 years
Luanda — Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos confirmed on Friday that he would step down ahead of elections due in August, signaling the end to his 37-year reign. He named Joao Lourenco as the candidate to run in his place. The autocratic Dos Santos, 74, became president in September 1979, making him Africa’s second-longest serving leader — one month short of Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema. His reign has seen the end of civil war and an investment boom, but has also been criticised as secretive and corrupt with Angola’s citizens suffering dire poverty as Nguema’s family became hugely wealthy.
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