{"id":98889,"date":"2026-02-05T18:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T18:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ipc-backs-unita-in-bid-to-unseat-angolas-ruling-party"},"modified":"2026-02-05T19:03:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T19:03:04","slug":"ipc-backs-unita-in-bid-to-unseat-angolas-ruling-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ipc-backs-unita-in-bid-to-unseat-angolas-ruling-party","title":{"rendered":"IPC backs UNITA in bid to unseat Angola\u2019s ruling party"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has endorsed Angola\u2019s main opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), for the country\u2019s 2027 national elections.<\/p>\n

The endorsement was delivered by IPC national general secretary Christine Esperanza Aochamus on behalf of party president Panduleni Itula during UNITA\u2019s 14th Ordinary Congress held on 28 November 2025 in Viana, Angola.<\/p>\n

The congress drew more than 1 200 delegates and confirmed Adalberto Costa Ju\u0301nior as UNITA president after he secured 91% of the vote.<\/p>\n

Addressing delegates, Aochamus framed the message as one of shared history and shared political struggle between Namibia and Angola.<\/p>\n

She said the two countries are connected by geography, people and a common future.<\/p>\n

\u201cNamibia and Angola, countries bound by geography, bound by destiny,\u201d Aochamus said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe share 1367 kilometres of frontier. We share history. Both our countries knew Portuguese traders, German colonisers, South African occupation, wars of liberation and the long struggle of self-determination.\u201d<\/p>\n

She linked the relationship to her background, describing herself as a reflection of the cross-border ties.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father, a Mbadja from southern Angola and my mother… a Damara woman from central Namibia. So yes, I\u2019m a living example of the relationship between our countries,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Aochamus presented the IPC as a model for political change, saying the party\u2019s rapid rise shows that long-ruling liberation movements can be challenged through the ballot.<\/p>\n

She told the congress that the IPC, formed in August 2020, has reshaped Namibian politics by winning 20% of the National Assembly seats and taking control of key municipalities, including Windhoek.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not a party of nostalgia; we are a party built by Namibians who believe our country deserves better than what it has received over the last 34 years of one-party dominance,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her remarks echoed UNITA\u2019s own campaign against the MPLA, which has governed Angola since independence in 1975.<\/p>\n

The ruling party\u2019s support has declined over time, falling from 81% in the 2008 elections to 51% in the 2022 polls.<\/p>\n

UNITA, contesting the 2022 election as part of a coalition, secured 44% of the vote and won a decisive victory in the capital, Luanda.<\/p>\n

According to Aochamus, the everyday struggles of ordinary citizens in both countries are the root of the push for change.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do our people want? My answer is they want dignity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks the same in Windhoek as it does in Luanda… It is the child who wakes before dawn and walks kilometres to school past the mansions of the connected.\u201d<\/p>\n

She praised UNITA\u2019s internal democratic processes and pledged IPC\u2019s support ahead of the 2027 elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo all of UNITA, as you prepare for your national elections, know that the IPC stands with you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The public show of solidarity contrasts sharply with the past relationship between Namibia\u2019s ruling Swapo and UNITA.<\/p>\n

During the liberation struggle, UNITA supported Swapo\u2019s armed wing in southern Angola. The relationship later collapsed when UNITA aligned itself with apartheid South Africa, which the occupying force Swapo was fighting.<\/p>\n

Tensions deepened after Namibia\u2019s independence. In 1999, following attacks by UNITA forces on Namibians in the then Kavango region, founding President Sam Nujoma ordered the deployment of Namibian troops into Angola.<\/p>\n

Namibia\u2019s military intervention weakened UNITA and contributed to the death of its leader, Jonas Savimbi, bringing Angola\u2019s civil war to an end in 2002.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has endorsed Angola\u2019s main opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), for the country\u2019s 2027 national elections. The endorsement was delivered by IPC national general secretary Christine Esperanza Aochamus on behalf of party president Panduleni Itula during UNITA\u2019s 14th Ordinary Congress […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":98888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,10],"tags":[233],"class_list":["post-98889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-parties","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nIPC backs UNITA in bid to unseat Angola\u2019s ruling party - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has endorsed Angola\u2019s main opposition party, the National Union for the Total ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ipc-backs-unita-in-bid-to-unseat-angolas-ruling-party\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"IPC backs UNITA in bid to unseat Angola\u2019s ruling party\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has endorsed Angola\u2019s main opposition party, the National Union for the Total ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ipc-backs-unita-in-bid-to-unseat-angolas-ruling-party\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-05T18:57:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-05T19:03:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2026\/02\/sm_1770305521.03859.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"693\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"288\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ipc-backs-unita-in-bid-to-unseat-angolas-ruling-party#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ipc-backs-unita-in-bid-to-unseat-angolas-ruling-party\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"IPC backs UNITA in bid to unseat Angola\u2019s ruling party\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-05T18:57:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-05T19:03:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ipc-backs-unita-in-bid-to-unseat-angolas-ruling-party\"},\"wordCount\":576,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ipc-backs-unita-in-bid-to-unseat-angolas-ruling-party#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2026\/02\/sm_1770305521.03859.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"namibia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"parties\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ipc-backs-unita-in-bid-to-unseat-angolas-ruling-party#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ipc-backs-unita-in-bid-to-unseat-angolas-ruling-party\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ipc-backs-unita-in-bid-to-unseat-angolas-ruling-party\",\"name\":\"IPC backs UNITA in bid to unseat Angola\u2019s ruling party - 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