Elections to the National Assembly of Angola in 2012

The 2012 elections to the National Assembly of Angola took place on August 31, 2012 and, after 1992 and 2008, were the third multi-party elections to the National Assembly since the country gained independence in 1975. The elections of 1980 and 1986 were still subject to a single Party system took place.

Nine parties stood for election in 2012 and around 9 million eligible voters were to determine the occupation of the 220 seats in the National Assembly. However, the all- powerful MPLA party, which had ruled for 37 years, had an almost unlimited advertising budget at its disposal and not only dominated the media, but also the streetscape with posters, while the opposition parties were barely noticeable. Independent election observers therefore criticized the elections as unfair, even though election day itself remained largely free from voter influence. Preliminary estimates put the turnout at 57% of eligible voters, with the turnout being significantly lower in the capital Luanda and individual provinces.

Results

The MPLA received around 71% of the votes cast (175 MPs), 10% less than in 2008, but still a very comfortable majority. The traditionally largest opposition party UNITA won a good 18% (32 MPs), which means an increase of 80% compared to 2008. The new CASA-CE party, which emerged as a spin-off from UNITA, received 6% of the votes (8 MPs); this is by far the best result that any party other than MPLA and UNITA has ever received in a national election in Angola.

Apart from these three parties, only the PRS (Partido de Renovação Social) and the FNLA gained seats in parliament (3 and 2 respectively), despite the proportion of votes below 2%. This is explained by the fact that they are particularly rooted among the Chokwe and Bakongo and were able to win direct mandates in the corresponding parts of the country.

The results of the opposition in the provinces of Luanda and Cabinda were striking . Here UNITA and CASA – CE together got 40% of the votes, which is significantly more than the 25% they got together on the national average. The high level of abstention from voting is even more significant: while the number of registered voters rose from around 5 million to almost 10 million from 1992 to 2008 to 2012, the proportion of non-voters rose steadily and was 37.2% in 2012 ( in some provinces, including Luanda in particular, at around 42%), while in 2008 it was around 12.5%. So around 4 million voters did not go to the polls. In the province of Luanda , where a quarter of the population lives and the level of politicization is particularly high, only around 25% of the voters voted for the MPLA.

175

32

8th

3

2

175 32 8th 3 2 

A total of 220 seats

• MPLA : 175
• UNITA : 32
• CASA-CE : 8
• PRS : 3
• FNLA : 2

Political party	be right	% 2012	% 2008	Seats	+/-
MPLA	4 135 503	71.84	81.64	175	−16
UNITA	1 074 565	18.66	10.39	32	+16
CASA – CE	345 589	6.00	-	8th	New
Partido de Renovação Social , PRS	98 233	1.70	3.71	3	−5
FNLA	65 163	1.13	1.11	2	−1
Nova Democracia - União Eleitoral	13 337	0.23	1.29	0	−2
PAPOD	8 710	0.15	-	-	-
FUMA	8 260	0.14	-	-	-
CPO	6 644	0.11	-	-	-
Invalid votes / blank cast	368 665	5.1	-	-
Total	6 124 669	100		220	0
Registered voters	9 757 671	62.86	-	-
Source: Comissão Nacional Eleitoral

Participated parties and coalitions

• MPLA, (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola), originally a Marxist guerrilla movement against Portuguese colonial rule, ruling party since 1975. Initial power base among the Ambundu and the mongrel population, now greatly expanded.
• UNITA (National Union for the Total Liberation of Angola), also originally a guerrilla movement against Portuguese colonial rule with a power base under the Ovimbundu , from 1975 to 1991 opponent of the MPLA in the Angolan civil war
• Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola , just like the MPLA and UNITA, emerged from a guerrilla movement of the War of Liberation. Main social base among the Bakongo .
• Partido de Renovação Social , PRS, founded in 1991, won 3% of the vote in 2008. Rooted among the Chokwe .
• CASA-CE Convergência Ampla de Salvação de Angola - Coligação Eleitoral (Comprehensive Association for the Rescue of Angola - electoral alliance), an alliance that emerged from UNITA in 2012 under the leadership of former UNITA politician Abel Chivukuvuku , who stood for election for the first time
• FUMA (United Front for Angola's Change)
• Nova Democracia - União Eleitoral , a coalition founded in 2006, received 1.6% of the votes cast in 2008. Mainly worn by intellectuals; Successor to the Frente para a Democracia.
• PAPOD (People's Party for Development)
• CPO (Political Opposition Council)

These are the formations that were approved for election after reviewing the formal requirements. Applications from a large number of small groups were rejected for formal reasons.

Effects of the elections

Due to the new constitution of 2010, the parliamentary elections also determine the allocation of the offices of president and vice-president: the top candidate of the party with the most votes becomes head of state and government in one person, the second on the list becomes vice-president. Therefore, the election result means that President José Eduardo dos Santos , who has ruled for 33 years, will continue to hold this office. Manuel Domingos Vicente , Minister for Economic Coordination , becomes Vice-President . In 1992 , in the only presidential election to date, voters still had the option of choosing the president directly.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/angola154.html ( Memento from September 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) accessed on September 2, 2012
2. ↑ http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/angola154.html ( Memento from September 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) accessed on September 2, 2012
3. ↑ Tagesschau , September 2, 2012, 8 p.m.
4. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19451376 accessed on September 2, 2012
5. ↑ - ( Memento of the original from September 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/angola154.html ( Memento from September 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) accessed on September 2, 2012