Mr Isaías Samakuva has retained presidency of Angola’s main opposition party Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).
This resolve to give him one more term came on Saturday at the close of UNITA’s ordinary meeting in Viana municipality in Luanda after the third Unita Political Commission gave Mr Samakuva the new term with 169 (86 per cent) votes in favour and 24 (12 per cent) against.
Party veterans Jaka Jamba, Ernesto Mulato and Alcides Sakala oversaw the exercise.
Mr Samakuva whose fourth term was due to expire in 2019 had announced his intention to retire from the party leadership in October after having had led Unita since 2003 when he replaced Dr Savimbi at the party’s ninth congress.
Unita officials Abílio Kamalata Numa, Adalberto da Costa Junior and Rafael Massanga Savimbi, the son of the party’s founder Jonas Savimbi, had expressed their desire to run for its presidency.
Dr Savimbi, the controversial but charismatic founded UNITA in 1966. He led the party in a 27-year civil war with the Angolan government, before transitioning into the main opposition party.
He was killed in a battle against the government forces on February 22, 2002.
Mr Samakuva was the Unita flagbearer in last August’s election, which saw the ruling MPLA retain the presidency and dominance in parliament. Unita came second with 26.7 per cent of the votes cast and 51 MPs, while Casa-Ce was third with 9.4 per cent and 16 MPs.
The August election was Angola’s fourth since independence from Portugal in 1975 and the third since the end of the war in 2002.
