Angola’s ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) has endorsed President João Lourenço as the only candidate for party president ahead of its ninth ordinary congress, scheduled for December 9–10 in Luanda.
The decision was approved by the party’s Central Committee on November 5, following a review of the nomination process, the MPLA announced.
Two other party figures, António Venâncio and Higino Carneiro, failed to qualify for the leadership contest. Venâncio’s nomination was rejected over an insufficient number of valid supporting signatures, while Carneiro’s application had previously been invalidated over procedural irregularities, according to the party and national broadcaster Rádio Nacional de Angola.
Lourenço has led the MPLA since 2018 and became Angola’s president in 2017, succeeding José Eduardo dos Santos. He won a second presidential term in the 2022 general election.
Under Angola’s Constitution, the president may serve no more than two five-year terms. Lourenço is therefore due to leave the presidency in 2027, although the constitutional term limit does not prevent him from continuing to lead the ruling party.
The distinction is politically significant because Angola's president is determined through the general election: the head of the electoral list of the party or coalition that wins the most votes becomes head of state.
The December congress is expected to address the MPLA’s leadership and organisational priorities ahead of the next electoral cycle. The party will subsequently face the task of selecting a candidate for the 2027 general election.
The MPLA has governed Angola since the country gained independence in 1975. In the 2022 election, it retained power with 51.17 percent of the vote, while the main opposition party, UNITA, secured 43.95 percent, according to official results.
Lourenço’s confirmation as the sole leadership candidate settles the immediate contest within the party, while the question of who will succeed him as president remains open.
