New Constitution Set To Give Angolan President More Powers

President Dos Santos

A new constitution that expands the powers of the presidency in Angola is set to be approved by the country’s parliament. But the main opposition party in the country has walked out of parliament in protest as the assembly approved the first reading of the new document. Some parliament members of the opposition UNITA (Union for the Total Independence of Angola) party left Angola’s national assembly denouncing what they called an illegal and fraudulent constitutional process. Apparently, during the deliberations, the document was overwhelmingly approved because the MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) controls four-fifths of the seats. The constitution is expected to be approved in a final vote on Thursday and sent to President Jose Eduardo dos Santos for signature.

According to reports, the new constitution enhances the powers of the president who becomes head-of-state, head of government and head of the armed forces. It abolishes the post of prime minister and creates a new post of vice-president. The head of the party that wins the most votes in parliamentary elections is elected president, a process known as the party-list system. The president may serve two five-year terms which means President Dos Santos could remain in power until 2022. Some analysts are saying that the new constitution does not represent a setback for democracy and that the party list system is used in many democracies in Europe, Asia and South Africa. Observers also say that there are no great changes in terms of political democratization because the new document maintains many existing clauses and that what is more important is to have the political will to enact reforms that encourage political liberalization and maintain the process of national reconciliation

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Tags:  Angola, MPLA, New Constitution, President Dos Santos

By Newstime Africa