This article talks about the presidential election in Angola, and how there is some controversy with the new election. There is the main governing party, the People’s movement for the liberation of Angola, also known as the MPLA, and and the main opposition party, UNITA. The People’s movement for the liberation of Angola overwhelmingly re-elected Joao Lourenco as their party leader at a congress held in the Capital, Luanda. This re-election came just days after UNITA Adalberto Costa Junior as their leader, and soon to be Lourenco’s main election rival. Lourenco succeeded Jose Eduardo dos Santos in the 2017 election, and the People’s movement for the liberation of Angola has been the main party in Angola after winning independence from Portugal in 1975. Lourenco has pledged to restore Angola’s oil driven economy and rid the Nepotism that was developed from dos Santos being leader as he used to appoint family and friends to key positions during his rule.
This article is important because it shows new futures possible for the country of Angola, as their past rulers may have developed some bad trends for the country. Lourenco should help the country turn in a new direction and turn the country for better. Having a leader that is not just in a position of power because of his family heritage is important because it shows the people that you are not just born into power and can bring yourself to a position like that.
This relates to what we talk about in class through a country’s geopolitical location. Lourenco realizes that Angola is in a spot where oil is rich and they need to take more of an advantage of it. In the past, it had not been a main focus of Angola’s intentions for development, and it needs to be.