Angola's second post-war elections: The alchemy of change

Angolans today expect more from their government and no longer want to be ruled in the same way.

The second post-war elections in Angola, in August 2012, have become a lens through which to observe the political changes this emerging African powerhouse will face in the coming years. President Jose Eduardo dos Santos was elected for the first time after 33 years in power, but the governing strategy of the preceding decades will have to be rethought. The ruling MPLA party continues to ignore the calls for reform that are emerging from the grassroots, civil society, the opposition and within its own ranks. These polls showed the Angolan regime that rhetoric would no longer suffice. Angolans today expect more from their government and no longer want to be ruled in the same way.

About the author:

Paula Cristina Roque is Research Director of the South Sudan Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies, and is finishing her PhD at Oxford University on wartime governance in Angola and South Sudan. She was previously a Senior Researcher with the Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis Division at the Institute for Security Studies.