Africa-Press – Angola. The instability in Luanda, resulting from the taxi drivers’ strike, has already claimed a political victim. Interior Minister Manuel Homem, considered João Lourenço’s favorite to succeed him at the Palácio da Cidade Alta, has fallen definitively behind in this race due to the riots that took place in the Angolan capital at the end of July.
Social chaos spread across the globe and weakened the minister responsible for the police, who were unable to contain the popular uprising sparked by the fuel price hike. Angola’s image of disorder, which spread abroad, called into question the country’s leadership, led by João Lourenço, and left Manuel Homem in a precarious position.
At the time, the Minister of the Interior stated that the government is attentive to “legitimate voices calling for improvements,” but that it would also be prepared “to act firmly against those who, for political or opportunistic reasons, attempt, unsuccessfully, to plunge the country into chaos.” However, violence marked those days of protests, culminating in 30 deaths, over 200 injuries, and 1,500 arrests. Almost two weeks later, Luanda remains on high alert, a circumstance that contributes to deepening doubts about Angola’s stability, especially among foreign investors.
The ongoing insecurity in Angola is penalizing Manuel Homem, but it also affects the President of the Republic. João Lourenço is losing room to impose his choices and becoming more vulnerable within his party, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). Conversely, the narratives of opponents, particularly General Higino Carneiro, who has publicly declared his candidacy for the MPLA leadership, are gaining ground and gaining allies. Fernando Piedade dos Santos (Nandó), also considered a presidential candidate, is another figure gaining traction as a leading figure in matters of security and state authority.
The protests at the end of July effectively triggered a political crisis that further hampered João Lourenço’s activities. Yesterday’s extraordinary meeting of the Council of the Republic, an advisory body to the head of state that includes figures such as the vice president, the president of the National Assembly, the Attorney General, leaders of the parties with seats in parliament, and representatives of civil society, convened precisely to analyze the security situation in Angola, is late. Moreover, in the president’s view, the protests were fabricated.
Rather than accepting that the riots stemmed from growing social dissatisfaction, João Lourenço argued that they were caused by “irresponsible citizens manipulated by anti-patriotic national and foreign organizations through social media.” With Manuel Homem out of the race and himself weakened, a scenario now opens up in which João Lourenço may be willing to find a more consensual candidate to succeed him.
ANGOLA24
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