A massive rally erupted in Luanda, Angola on Saturday, staged by the country’s prominent opposition party in memory of their former leader. During the event, thousands of demonstrators voiced their demand for the resignation of President Joao Lourenco.
Citing concerns over President Joao Lourenco’s alleged authoritarian conduct, UNITA, the political offshoot of a former rebel group, has announced its plans to initiate a parliamentary procedure to depose the 69-year-old leader. This decision comes after the group faced defeat in a disputed election the previous year.
‘Someone is responsible for famine, unemployment and the jailing of demonstrators. Who is he?’ UNITA leader Adalberto Costa Junior asked a crowd of followers waving red and green flags — the party colours — in Luanda.
‘Joao Lourenco!’ followed as the response.
The demonstration was arranged to commemorate the birthday of the late former UNITA leader, Jonas Savimbi. His demise in 2002, at the hands of the army, brought an end to a protracted 27-year civil war between UNITA and President Lourenco’s ruling party, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA).
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While initially organised for a different cause, the demonstration evolved into an opportunity to heighten pressure on the government in response to public grievances surrounding poverty, corruption, and the uncertain state of the economy.
‘UNITA is trying to capitalise on the widespread social discontent in society,’ said independent analyst Marisa Lourenco, who isn’t a relative of the president’s.
Since June, the oil-rich country in southern Africa has been witnessing a wave of protests in response to the government’s decision to cut subsidies for petrol.
The primary objective of the move was to address government spending in light of the economic challenges caused by plummeting oil prices, resulting in the devaluation of the local currency, the kwanza. Regrettably, this led to highly unpopular and substantial fuel price hikes.
‘We have a government that does not deserve Angolans,’ Costa Junior said.
Despite their stated intentions to initiate proceedings, UNITA has not revealed a specific timeline for when they plan to do so.
Meanwhile, the party has been reluctant in providing detailed information regarding the specific charges they intend to bring against President Lourenco.
The opposition’s strategy appears to be centred around exploiting internal divisions within the ruling party by advocating for a secret ballot during the proceedings.
However, experts and observers express scepticism, suggesting that the initiative is improbable to succeed.
To successfully oust the president from office, a two-thirds majority vote in parliament and support from the courts are essential.
As of now, the ruling MPLA, which has held power since 1975, maintains control over both institutions, making President Lourenco’s removal a challenging prospect, as highlighted by the analyst.