MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
Angola:
Elections 2012 –
convincing MPLA victory
T
he MPLA (People’s Movement for the Liberation of
Angola) was declared the
winner of the general elections held on 31 August. It won 71.84
percent of the total of 6.124.669
votes reported by the National
Electoral Commission (CNE). The
President of the CNE, Judge André
da Silva Neto, announced the final
results and proclaimed José Eduardo
dos Santos President and Manuel
Domingos Vicente Vice-President
of the Republic.
The winning percentage reflected
4.135.803 votes gained all over the
country. As a result, in the parliament the MPLA is represented by
175 deputies, 94 from the national
constituency and 81 from provincial constituencies.
UNITA confirmed its position
as the biggest opposition party by
gaining 18,66 percent of the votes.
With 1.074.565 votes, the party
led by Isaías Samakuva is now be
represented by 32 deputies in the
National Assembly, 24 from the
national constituency and eight (8)
from the provincial ones.
With 345,589 votes, six (6) percent of the total, the CASA-CE
came third, electing eight (8) deputies, all from the national constituency, and entering the National
Assembly for the first time.
The PRS, which has lost its position as the third biggest party to
the CASA-CE, polled 98,233 votes,
1.70 percent of the total. As a result,
the party led by Eduardo Kuangana
has elected three (3) deputies, two
(2) from the national constituency and one (1) from Lunda Sul
Province, fewer than it had before.
The FNLA, with 65.163 votes,
1,13 percent of the total, was able to
elect only two (2) deputies, whereas
it had three in the last parliament.
It will no longer be able to form a
bench.
The New Democracy-Electoral
Union, with 0.23 percent of the
vote, PAPOD, with 0.15%, FUMA,
with 0.14%, and the CPO, with
0.11%, DID NOT ELECT A
SINGLE DEPUTY and, in accordance with the Law, MUST BE
DISBANDED for not receiving at
least 0.50 percent of the total votes.
Of the total of 6.124.669 votes
counted, 5.756.004. i.e. 93.98 percent - were valid, 212.023 were blank
and 156.642 were invalid
WEZA 04 - Sept/Oct 2012
Director:
Embaixador Miguel Neto
Editor:
António Nascimento
Proofreading:
António Nascimento
Translation:
Marga Holness
Graphic Design:
Kassim Design
Copies:
2000 exemplares
Printer:
Capital Printers
Graphic Execution:
Press Office of the Embassy
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.angola.org.uk
Address:
22 Dorset Street
London
W1U 6QY
United Kingdom
Tel: 020-72999850
Fax: 020-79354960
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MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
MPLA
deputies
175
UNITA
deputies
32
CASA
deputies
8
PRS
deputies
3
FNLA
deputies
2
71,84%
18,66%
6,00%
1,70%
1,13%
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MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
Investiture of the
President of the
Republic of Angola
José Eduardo dos Santos was sworn in as President of the
Republic of Angola on 26 September 2012, and will go down in the
history of Angola as the first President elected within the framework
of multi-party democracy.
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MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
Tens of thousands of people witnessed the ceremony in the “Praça da República”, as
Rui Constantino Ferreira, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, swore in José
Eduardo dos Santos to the highest post in the country in a formal ceremony that also
marked the end of a transitional period.
T
ens of thousands of people
witnessed the ceremony in
the “Praça da República”, as
Rui Constantino Ferreira,
Chief Justice of the Constitutional
Court, swore in José Eduardo dos
Santos to the highest post in the
country in a formal ceremony that
also marked the end of a transitional period.
In his first speech as the elected President of the Republic, José
Eduardo dos Santos spoke of the
Angolan people’s vote of confidence,
who had confirmed their preference
with a large majority of votes. There
had already been two other democratic multi-party elections in the
country in which a clear majority
voted for the MPLA and its leader.
José Eduardo dos Santos, in his
speech, stressed the fact that this formal investiture was taking place only
now and that this meant that ‘this
time all possible previous doubts have
been fully clarified’.
Addressing the crowd, José
Eduardo dos Santos spoke of the
main guidelines of the government
programme, promising to honour his commitments and serve
Angola loyally, as the President of
all Angolans without exception.
He reaffirmed his commitment to
implement the MPLA government
programme, prompted by the spirit
of “renewal and continuity”.
José Eduardo dos Santos summed up the main lines of action of
the next government team as follows:
maintaining peace, strengthening
democracy, vigorously continuing
the reconstruction and development of infrastructure and allocating more resources for improving
the social conditions of people and
families, especially those who have
little or almost nothing to live on.
He further promised to ensure
that full use is made of national person-
nel and the country’s natural resources,
so as to increase national wealth and
make Angola grow more and distribute
better.
In leading a government committed to building new undertakings,
correcting what is wrong and improving what is good, José Eduardo
dos Santos said he was counting on
the strength and patriotic consciousness of the Angolan youth as an ally
of the executive in carrying out these
tasks to make Angola a better place
to live in.
The investiture of the President
of the Republic marked the end of
the period of political transition,
following the approval of the new
Constitution in February 2010, which ended the constitutional transition. Since then, in accordance with Article 241 of the Constitution,
José Eduardo dos Santos had been a
transitional President
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MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
Biography of the President
of the Republic of Angola José
Eduardo dos Santos
José Eduardo dos Santos is the son of
Eduardo Avelino dos Santos and Jacinta
José Paulino, both deceased. After attending
primary school in Luanda, he had his secondary
education at the Salvador Correia Institute, also in
Luanda, which was then the main secondary school
in the country. He started his political activity
in clandestine groups formed in suburban
neighbourhoods in the capital in the late
1950s and joined the MPLA when it was
founded in 1958.
Engº José Eduardo dos Santos, President of the Republic of Angola
I
n 1962 he joined the People’s
Army for the Liberation of
Angola (EPLA), the then name of the MPLA’s armed wing,
and in 1963 he became the first
MPLA representative in Brazzaville,
capital of the Republic of Congo. In
November that year, he was given
a scholarship to study at the Baku
Oil and Gas Institute, in the former
Soviet Union, and graduated in oil
engineering in June 1969.
Also in the USSR, after finishing
his studies, he took a military communications course, which enabled
him to work in the telecommunications service in the Cabinda,
the MPLA’s 2nd Politico-Military
Region, from 1970 to 1974.
In September 1974, at a meeting
held in Moxico Province, he was elected a member of the MPLA Central
Committee and Political Bureau.
In June 1975, he became coordinator of the MPLA’s Department of
External Relations and Department
of Health.
After the proclamation of independence on 11 November 1975, he
was appointed Minister of External
Relations.
On the death of António
Agostinho Neto, the first President
of Angola, on 20 September
1979 José Eduardo dos Santos
was sworn in as President of the
MPLA-Workers’ Party, President
of the People’s Republic of Angola
and Commander-in-Chief of the
People’s Armed Forces for the
Liberation of Angola (FAPLA).
From 1986 to 1992, José Eduardo
dos Santos played an outstanding
role in ending South Africa’s crossborder war against Angola and the
negotiations culminated in the repa-
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MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
triation of the Cuban contingent, the
independence of Namibia and the
withdrawal of South African troops
from Angola.
With the end of the cold war and
under pressure from the international community, while also grappling
with domestic economic difficulties
and UNITA’s continuing war of attrition, José Eduardo dos Santos
sought a negotiated settlement with
UNITA.
A democratic system was established in Angola, based on the
constitution adopted in 1992, which
provided for political pluralism and a
market economy. As a result of these
radical changes, the first multi-party
democratic elections were held on 29
and 30 September 1992, in the presence of international observers.
The MPLA won an absolute majority in the elections for the
National Assembly. However, José
Eduardo dos Santos won only 49
percent of the votes, against 40 percent for Jonas Savimbi. Under the
constitution then in force, a second
round had to be held, but UNITA
rejected the election results and immediately resumed its war in Angola.
José Eduardo dos Santos therefore remained at his post, even
without constitutional legitimacy.
He personally directed intensive
diplomatic activity that culminated
in the recognition of the Angolan
government by the United States
on 19 May 1993, followed by other
countries.
General elections were held on 31
August 2012. They were also won by
the MPLA and, in accordance with
the Constitution approved in 2010,
José Eduardo dos Santos, as the first
person on the MPLA’s electoral list,
was automatically elected President
of the Republic, legitimising his having remained in his post for a five
years period.
Vice-President of
the Republic
sworn in
M
anuel Domingos
Vicente, the second
person on the MPLA list
in the general elections
on 31 August, was sworn in as VicePresident of the Republic of Angola
in Lunda on 26 September.
He was sworn in by Rui Ferreira,
Chief Justice of the Constitutional
Court, at a ceremony in the Praça
da República, near the mausoleum
of António Agostinho Neto, the first
President of Angola.
With his right hand on the
Constitution, Manuel Vicente swore, on his honour, to perform with
total dedication the duties with
which he was invested, complying
and ensuring compliance with the
Constitution and the country’s laws.
He swore to defend the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the nation, peace and
democracy, and to promote stability
and the wellbeing and social progress of all Angolans.
The Vice-President has an auxiliary role to the President of the
Republic in the executive. He stands in for the President during his absences abroad, when it is impossible for him to perform his duties and
at times of temporary impediment,
in which case he runs the current
activities of the executive.
Manuel Domingos Vicente
was born in Luanda on 15 May
1956, the son of a cobbler father
and a washerwoman mother. He did
his primary and secondary schooling
at the São Domingos Mission and
graduated in Electronic Engineering
(Power Systems) from Agostinho Neto
University.
He was chairman of the board of
directors of Sonangol-EP, the state oil
company, until 2012. On 30 January
he was appointed Minister of State for
Economic Coordination by presidential
decree.
Manuel Vicente is widely respected and seen as an example of family
stability.
Engº Manuel Domingos Vicente,
Vice-President of the Republic of
Angola
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MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
Fernando da Piedade
Dias dos Santos is the new
President of Angola’s National
Assembly
E
lected with no votes
against and no abstentions,
Fernando da Piedade Dias
dos Santos has returned the
post between 2008 and 2010 before becoming Vice-President of the
Republic of Angola, a post created in
the amended constitution adopted
two years ago.
The election of Fernando da
Piedade Dias dos Santos and the
swearing in of the 220 deputies resulting from the general elections
on 31 August took place at a session
of the National Assembly to which
members of the diplomatic corps
accredited in Angola and church representatives were invited.
The National Assembly (Angola’s
parliament) has specialised commissions in the following areas:
Constitutional and Legal Affairs;
Defence; National Security and
Public Order; External Relations,
International Cooperation and
Angolan Communities Abroad and
State Administration and Local
Government.
There are also commissions
of Economics and Finance, Education, Science and Technology,
Culture, Sport, Religious Affairs
and Information, Health, the
Environment, Social Action,
Employment, Ex-servicemen, the
Family and the Advancement of
Women, Mandates, Ethics and
Parliamentary Decorum and, finally, Human Rights, Petitions and
Claims, and Citizens’ Suggestions.
In his opening speech, Fernando
Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, President of Angola’s
National Assembly
MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
da Piedade Dias dos Santos spoke
of the need for greater commitment
by deputies, especially in respect of
a broader understanding of parliamentary work.
According to the new Speaker
“House of the Law”, the people have let the politicians know that the
country needs unity and the participation of everyone in affirming the
path that leads to the consolidation
of the democratic process
09
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New Members of the Government of the
Republic of Angola
T
he new Angolan government
comprises two Ministers
of State, 33 Ministers, one
Secretary to the Cabinet
and 52 Secretaries of State. Eight
Ministers – i.e. 30 percent of the to-
tal – are women.
The Ministry of State for
Economic Coordination and the
State Secretariat for Human Rights
have been abolished and a new
Ministry of Justice and Human
Rights has been created.
José Eduardo dos Santos,
President of the Republic, has requested of the new Executive dynamism, transparency and further
commitment, in principle with the
principles of renewal and continuity.
Minister of State and Head of the Civil House
Edeltrudes Maurício F. Gaspar da Costa
Minister of State and Head of
Homeland Security
Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias Jr.
Minister of National Defence
Cândido Pereira dos Santos Van-Dúnem
Minister do Interior
Ângelo de Barros Veiga Tavares
Minister of External Relations
Georges Rebelo Pinto Chicoty
Minister of Economy
Abraão Pio dos Santos Gourgel
Minister of Finance
Carlos Alberto Lopes
Minister of Planning and Territorial
Developing
Job Graça
Minister of Territorial Administration
Bornito de Sousa Baltazar Diogo
Minister of Public Administration,
Employment and Welfare
António Domingos da Costa Pitra Neto
Minister of Justice and Human Rights
Rui Jorge Carneiro Mangueira
Minister Former Combatants and
Motherland Veterans
Kundi Payhama
Minister da Agriculture
Afonso Pedro Canga
Minister of Fisheries
Victória Francisco Lopes Cristóvão
de Barros Neto
Minister of Industry
Bernarda Gonçalves Martins
Henriques da Silva
Minister of Oil
José Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos
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MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
Minister da Geology and Mines
Francisco Manuel Monteiro de Queiroz
Minister of Comerce
Rosa Escórcio Pacavira de Matos
Minister of Hospitality and Tourism
Pedro Mutinde
Minister of Construction
Fernando Alberto de Lemos Soares
da Fonseca
Minister of Urbanism e Housing
José António da Conceição e Silva
Minister of Energy and Waters
João Baptista Borges
Minister of Transports
Augusto da Silva Tomás
Minister of Environment
Maria de Fátima Monteiro Jardim
Minister of Telecommunications and
Information Technology
José Carvalho da Rocha
Minister of Science and Technology
Maria Cândida Pereira Teixeira
Minister of Social Communications
José Luís de Matos
Minister of Health
José Vieira Dias Van-Dúnem
Minister of Education
M’Pinda Simão
Minister of Higher Education Superior
Adão Gaspar Ferreira do Nascimento
Minister of Culture
Rosa Maria Martins da Cruz e Silva
Minister of Assistance and Social
Reinsertion
João Baptista Kussumua
Minister Family and Women Promotion
Maria Filomena de Fátima Lobão
Telo Delgado
Minister of Youth and Sports
Manuel Gonçalves Muandumba
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
Rosa Luís de Sousa Micolo
Secretary of the Cabinet
Frederico Manuel dos Santos e Silva
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MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
Secretary general of InterAfrican Coffee Organisation
honoured in London
A
tribute was paid to Josefa
Sacko, the Angolan
Secretary-general of
the Inter-African Coffee
Organisation (IACO), at a
ceremony in London on 27
September, for her more than
20 years of work in world coffee
issues.
The ceremony took place
during the 109th meeting of the
International Coffee Council, a
gesture in recognition of the hi-
gh degree of diplomatic respect
earned by her.
This tribute to Josefa Sacko
is seen as a highly significant
event in the annals of Angolan
multilateral diplomacy, marked
by the granting of a memento
by the International Coffee
Organisation (ICO).
She ends her term of office
in November, after heading the
IACO secretariat for about ten
years
Dra. Josefa Sacko, SecretaryGeneral of the Inter-African
Coffee Organization
CEAST Bishops praise
elections in Angola
T
he Justice and Peace
Episcopal Commission of
the Episcopal Conference
of Angola and São Tomé
(CEAST) consider that the general
elections held in Angola were better organised and could serve as an
example for future elections.
A CEAST report described the
elections as free, fair and transparent,
adding that positive aspects noted
by observers included the training of
officials at polling stations, the information about the electoral process
in the media, on the CNE website,
through social networks, mobile
phones, taxis and other means, encouraging people to vote
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MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
British government welcomes
election results in Angola
The British government, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has
welcomed the re-election of President José Eduardo dos Santos and congratulated the MPLA on its success in the third election in the Republic of Angola.
In a statement on 12 September, the British government welcomes the reelection of President José Eduardo dos Santos and congratulates the ruling party
MPLA for their success in the third elections held in Angola. Praises Angolan
people, political parties and civil society on the peaceful environment in which the
elections were held.
He stressed that despite concerns about the electoral process, such as the
unequal access to the media, problems with voter rolls, and the lack of timely
accreditation for election observers, the Angolan authorities’ commitment to take
action to address such concerns was commendable.
He went on to say that this was an important step toward further strengthening of Angola’s democratic institutions and will help to build confidence for
future elections.
Mark Simmonds, the Deputy-Minister for Africa in the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office said the United Kingdom looked forward to strengthening
its bilateral relationship with the Angolan government and to further engagement
with the Angolan people.
Mark Simmonds, British DeputyMinister for Africa in the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office
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New Association of
Angolans in Manchester
proclaimed
José Armando,
AAGM President
A
new association to serve the interests of the Angolan community
in Manchester (United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland) was recently established in the
presence of diplomats from the Angolan
Embassy in this country.
The association is headed by academic
José Armando (President), aided by Miguel
Domingos (Vice-President). Their job is
to organise the most varied social, cultural, sports and recreational activities for the
community and cooperate with the Angolan
Embassy whenever necessary.
Among its other aims is providing support and guidance for Angolans living
in Greater Manchester, like monitoring
the school and extra-curricular activities
of members’ children and taking part in
the training of technical personnel for its
purposes.
There already is in Great Manchester
an Association called Angolan Voice in
Manchester, known AVM, headed by José
Morais, founded on 29 August 2010
Miguel
Domingos, AAGM
Vice-President
Staff Members of the Great Manchester Association (AAGM)
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SADC, the CPLP and
the CEEAC
I
n a joint statement of the
African Union, the Southern
African Development Community, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, the
Economic Community of Central
African States, the SADC Forum
of Electoral Commissions and the
International Conference on the
Great Lakes Region, the observers
congratulated Angolans on the holding of the elections, which they said
had taken place in a peaceful and orderly manner.
The statement read out by Pedro
Pires, on behalf of the six observer
organisations, stressed the massive
participation of young people and
women in the polling stations, which showed a growing level of civic
awareness and a “firm commitment
to the country’s future”.
Pedro Pires congratulated the
CNE for the well organised electoral
process and the use of new communication and information technology
“with the praiseworthy intention of
improving electoral operations, and
for the professionalism shown by
members of the polling stations in
running the voting process”.
He also spoke of the efforts made
by political parties and others to ensure that citizens fully exercise their
right to vote and encouraged the relevant authorities to continue to stimulate active and constant involvement in the common effort to ensure
the continuation and improvement
of communicating dialogue in the
course of the whole electoral process
Heads of State and Government of SADC
United Nations
The 21sr ordinary session of the
United Nations Human Rights
Council congratulated the Republic
of Angola for the organisation and
successful holding of general elections on 31 August. It considered
that the elections in Angola would
contribute to the strengthening and
consolidation of democracy.
Pedro Pires, ex-President of the Republic of Cape-Verde
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MAGAZINE
OFDA
THE
EMBASSY OF
Angola wins
Miss Black
Africa contest
in the United
Kingdom
T
he Angolan model Samaia
Tchapesseka has won the
Miss Black Africa UK-2012
context in London.
She was crowned in the presence of an audience of about 200
people who went to the Regency
Royal Hall in London to see the
parade of more than 20 contenders
from African countries, including
Congo Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire,
the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda,
Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania,
Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Samaia, a 17-year-old secondary
school pupil, stood out, according
to the jury, for having demonstrated
food typical of African and especially
Angolan culture.
The new Miss Africa in the
United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland now faces the
challenge of increasing awareness of
child abuse and the ways of combating it. She received the crown from
the Zimbabwean Justina Mutale.
The two runners up were Kalay
Wattu from Sierra Leone and
Assitou Nsika from the Republic of
Congo.
The
Angolan
Samaia
Tchapesseka, this year’s most beautiful African woman in the United
Kingdom, thanked all those who supported her in this important project
for her life, especially the Angolan
Embassy in this country
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MAGAZINE
OFDA
THE
EMBASSY OF
Solidarity Sports Group
works with young people in
United Kingdom
I
t is called the Solidarity Sports
Group and it organises recreational and cultural activities
for the Angolan community in
London.
Headed by Napoleão Brandão,
it has worked with young Angolans
from all social backgrounds living
in east London, involving them in
sports and exchanges of views with
communities from other African
countries based in the British
capital.
The group marks every important Angolan date. It has organised sports events, such as football
and other activities
MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04
London Paralympics
Games: José Sayovo wins
gold medal
The Angolan sprinter José Armando Sayovo won a gold medal
in the 400 metres race, classification T11 (full visual impairment),
in the synthetic track Stratford Stadium in London, completing
the race in 50 seconds and 75 tenths at the end of the 14th
Paralympics Games.
H
e beat the Brazilian Lucas
Prado, who came in second place, at 51 seconds
and 44 tenths.
It was a very fast and exhausting
race for the two sprinters, who competed for the 100 metre semi-finals.
The Frenchman Trésor Gauthier
Makyunda came third, at 52 seconds and 45 tenths.
José Sayovo took 52 seconds
and 04 tenths to reach the final. The Angolan maintained the
Paralympics record with 50 seconds
and 03 tenths, while the Brazilian
Daniel Silva (world distance
champion) registered 49 seconds
and 82 tenths
Angolan José Armando Sayovo wins gold medal
19
Community
Angolan
Community
in London
more United
and solidary
MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2012 - N. 04