Country

Angola

Fully Authoritarian

0.48%

of the world’s population

40,215,200 people

Source: Tyranny Tracker

Overview

HRF classifies Angola as ruled by a fully authoritarian regime.

Angola is a unitary state, and the Head of State, João Lourenço, became president in 2017, succeeding José Eduardo dos Santos, who had ruled for 38 years. Lourenço and Dos Santos are both from the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which has ruled the country since independence in 1975. MPLA, along with the main opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), emerged as the main politico-military group that fought Angola’s war of independence from Portugal. But a power struggle between the two groups led to a 27-year civil war, which ended in 2002.

Key Highlights

Elections are a sham to the point where the real, mainstream political opposition does not have a realistic chance to meaningfully compete and possibly win. The country’s first multi-party elections took place in 1992 during a period of ceasefire in the Angolan civil war, but the main opposition party UNITA’s contestation of their results led to the resumption of fighting. Since then, MPLA has claimed victory in every poll amid accusations of intimidation and fraud and frequent court challenges by UNITA.

Independent media, political leaders, civil society leaders, organizations, and regular people face overt and systematic retaliation if they openly criticize or challenge the regime. Private media outlets face closures and confiscations, and journalists are frequently targeted with charges. The regime seriously and unfairly repressed dissenting protests. In August 2024, the defense team for approximately 200 individuals convicted of rebellion in Angola’s Lunda Sul province argued that the proceedings were politically motivated, aiming to suppress the right to protest.

Institutions largely fail to serve as independent checks on the regime. The Constitutional Court has consistently dismissed legal challenges filed by the political opposition over electoral fraud as well as other petitions brought by ordinary citizens, civil society organisations (CSOs), and political parties.

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