Agostinho Neto was Angola’s first president and one of the nation’s founding fathers

OLITICAL REFORM is part and parcel of the initiatives now taking place in Angola. Transformation from a country long ravaged by civil war into a fully functioning democratic, multi-party state where tolerance and political diversity reign is the goal of all Angolans, but one that will take some time to fully achieve.

On President dos Santos’ political agenda at the moment are the drawing up of a new constitution, the debate on the new national flag, and the holding of national elections.

The U.S. government has been actively supporting this democratic transformation in Angola as U.S. Ambassador to Angola, Christopher Dell, explains.

“The essence of democracy is really about people being actively engaged in drawing decisions about how their lives and country should be run. They do that by competing for offices, positions in the government, or by organizing the community. All these are democratic activities that we are trying to be supportive of in Angola. We are trying to help create this political space and to expand on it.”

FERNANDO DA PIEDADE DIAS DOS SANTOS Prime Minister of Angola

Prime Minister Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos (widely known as “Nando”) emphasizes the government’s commitment to an open political arena in which parties work together, and says that the government believes this is the path to ensuring a strong and stable political climate for the future.

He comments, “Peace has arrived and it is definitive. However, the ending of war does not mean peace is complete. It is necessary to consolidate the National Reconciliation Program in order to have a spiritual peace and reinstate virtues, a spirit of civil service, and the habits of solidarity, all of which are traditional characteristics of the Angolan people.

“To do this, all of the political forces and all of the political parties need to feel involved. We all need to define the principle objectives for the improvement of Angola and work together, even if we have different political platforms and ideas. All of this is underway already.”

According to Mr. Joao Lourenço, Secretary General for the ruling party, the Popular Liberation Movement of Angola (MPLA), national reconciliation and reintegration of ex- combatants are top priorities of the Angolan government and two of the first issues that were dealt with after the signing of peace accords in 2002. He explains, “We have taken every possible measure to ensure that there will be everlasting peace and there will be no turning back. We are seriously engaged in building a new Angola established on peace. We have embarked on aiding UNITA with its transformation into a normal political party.

“We strongly desire the peace process and we earnestly believe that this is the only way that we can build a stable environment in the country whereby all Angolans can prosper.”

The MPLA Convention, which is to be held this month, will further consolidate future political strategy as national elections loom on the horizon, and augurs dramatic changes for the party.

ISAÍAS SAMAKUVA President of UNITA

UNITA has also taken responsibility for its own reorganization, as the unification of its two competing wings and the party’s recent conference have shown. UNITA President Isaías Samakuva reaffirms the party’s commitment to ongoing peace and the further democratization of Angola.

“Everything that needs to be done in Angola can only be accomplished if there is democracy, so UNITA has decided to work hard towards the democratization of our society. To do so, we thought we should begin by democratizing our own party and the party conference in July was the first step towards this goal.

“We would like to continue and deepen the process and, in this sense, we need the assistance of the international community. One of the steps that is important to us is the holding of general elections, and for this we need assistance in personnel training and in creating the right conditions.”

The National Assembly is implementing new legislation to promote peace and stability

Although the government estimates that elections could be held as early as 2005, there are structural and institutional obstacles to be overcome before they can take place. After Portuguese colonial rule and 30 years of post-colonial warfare, there has been virtually no investment in the development of state administration at the national, provincial, or municipal levels and this must be minimally improved before elections are possible.

Deputy Prime Minister Aguinaldo Jaime says, “We need to create the conditions for holding presidential and parliamentary elections since we have a lot of internally displaced persons who need to be resettled first, and we don’t have administrative machinery in every province.”