The government, like other dictatorships, tries to present itself as a democracy to the international community.
By: CSP-Conlutas, Brazil
As expected, the MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) once again has fraudulently rigged recent elections to stay in power. The MPLA has been in power for 47 years. The current reelected president, João Lourenço, has been in office 2017. Before him, José Eduardo dos Santos, was in office for almost 39 years. During this time he was responsible for rampant corruption and the squandering of public assets, practices which allowed his daughter Isabel dos Santos to become the richest woman in Africa.
Although electoral law prohibits political parties from receiving external funding, the Lava Jato investigations in Brazil showed that the MPLA received millions for João Lourenço’s first electoral campaign. These funds later became public debt.
Opposition votes do not guarantee MPLA’s exit from government
Disagreement with the dictatorial and fraudulent MPLA government was expressed in a distorted way in these elections with the votes that went for UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola). This organization obtained an unprecedented victory in the province of Luanda, which has the largest number of voters in the country, with 62.59% of the votes according to the official count. Luanda is the most urbanized and developed province of the country, and has the largest concentration of youth and the working class. In addition to the victory in Luanda, UNITA also won in the province of Zaire with 52.10% of the votes, and in Cabinda with 68.59%.
That said, since the MPLA is not going to leave power through elections, workers have to build a movement guided by independent mobilizations to achieve victory.
UNITA channeled electoral energy but was never an alternative to the MPLA, since it is also a bourgeois party. Neither does it have a program that defends the interests of the working class, nor does its leadership intend to break with the current regime, as shown by its presence in the Council of the Republic.
A regime marked by hunger and misery
Angola is the second largest oil producer in Africa and earns billions of dollars from its exports. But the MPLA’s greed (it has become the new bourgeoisie through its appropriation of the country’s natural resources) makes half of the population of 33 million people live in absolute poverty. Salaries for many are US$2 per day and 60% of youth are unemployed.
A pro-imperialist and corrupt regime
The MPLA was on the front lines of the struggle for Angola’s independence in the 1970s, but decided to stay in power as long as possible. Today it defend the interests of imperialism and the new bourgeoisie that has emerged in the country in recent years, which explains the high levels of corruption. Corruption affects many levels of government from the National Police, to the National Electoral Commission, and even the Constitutional Court. In preparation to commit electoral fraud, the government put control of the whole process into the hands of the Military House of the Presidency and the National Electoral Council (CNE). They hired INDRA and SINFIC, two corrupt Spanish companies that took care of the technical side of process under the command of the Military House, which collaborated together with the Civil House and the State Information and Security Service (SINSE), which controls public communications.
The objective was always to make the people and the international community believe that there is real democracy in Angola.
A dictatorial regime
Workers went on strike numerous times this year and took to the streets together with youth to protest against this situation. To contain the social protests, the government has freely used violence against its own people. Angola is among the twelve African countries where people are killed by the use of live ammunition to disperse demonstrations.
The government called the elections a “celebration of democracy,” and just like other dictatorships, it tries to present itself to the international community as a formal democracy by holding periodic elections, such as the ones that took place. But it cannot hide the essence of its regime, which is built on repression. There is no freedom of the press, assembly or association, nor the right to demonstrate for those who protest against government measures. The arbitrary imprisonment of demonstrators and community leaders is ongoing, as witnessed on the January 12 demonstrations where activists were imprisoned, among them Luther King and Tanaice Neutro, who remain imprisoned and accused of vandalism and rioting.
Only class mobilizations will be able to overthrow the MPLA
The MPLA’s electoral fraud demonstrated that only mobilizations and independent class action, like those that have been taking place this year, will be able to remove the MPLA from power.
Therefore, the CSP-Conlutas of Brasil repudiates and denounces the electoral fraud committed by the government of João Lourenço during these elections, and stands in solidarity with the revolutionary youth, “Revu” and the workers who will continue to fight for their economic and political demands, with the aim of pushing the MPLA out of power.
ALL OUR SUPPORT TO THE STRUGGLE OF THE ANGOLAN WORKERS!
OUT WITH THE DICTATORSHIP OF THE MPLA!
WE DEMAND THE FREEDOM OF ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!
Article published by CSP-Conlutas, 31/8/2022