Thursday 12 November 2026 | Estimated 8 min read
TODAY ON THE ANGOLA BRIEFING: WHO CONTROLS THE MPLA'S SUCCESSION?
Thursday 12 November | Live on Zitamar News
Today, political analysts Paula Cristina Roque and Rui Verde join Zitamar editor-at-large Fernando Lima to examine one of the biggest questions facing Angola ahead of the 2027 elections: who will succeed João Lourenço, and can he continue to exercise political power after leaving the presidency?
Lourenço is approaching the end of his second and final presidential term, but he is now the only approved candidate to remain leader of the ruling MPLA. The discussion will examine the party's internal divisions, possible successors and what a president operating under Lourenço's continued party leadership might mean for Angola's next government.
In a new article for Maka Angola, Lourenço Is Closing Angola's Safety Valves, published on Independence Day, Rui Verde argues that by excluding internal challengers and resisting elected local government, Lourenço is removing opportunities for political debate and increasing the pressure on Angola's political system.
The programme will also examine the latest infrastructure contracts, preparations for the elections and pressure on public finances.
Watch today's Angola Briefing live here:
Tom Bowker
Welcome to Angola Today, Zitamar News's briefing on the political, economic and business developments shaping Angola.
Angola's Constitutional Court has struck down several provisions of the government's law regulating non-governmental organisations, following a challenge by the opposition UNITA. The judgment places limits on the state's powers over civil society organisations as Angola approaches the 2027 elections.
Meanwhile, petrol shortages are disrupting transport in Luanda, parliament is debating the government's election-year budget, and a World Bank mission is reviewing progress on a $300m economic diversification programme.
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TODAY'S BRIEFING
- Constitutional Court strikes down provisions of NGO law
- Petrol shortages disrupt transport and business in Luanda
- Parliament debates election-year budget amid spending constraints
- UNITA warns identity-card shortages threaten electoral participation
- World Bank reviews $300m Diversifica Mais programme
- Constitutional Court upholds military career rules
- We've Been Watching: Cabinda fuel-smuggling crackdown
- Regulatory Update: Proposed cap on rent increases
Constitutional Court strikes down provisions of NGO law
Angola's Constitutional Court has declared several provisions of the country's law regulating non-governmental organisations unconstitutional, following a challenge by the opposition UNITA. The decision, dated 3 November and reported this week, has generally binding effect and invalidates specified provisions of the law rather than the legislation in its entirety.
In Judgment 1166/2026, the court found that provisions governing administrative authorisation and suspension lacked sufficient legal certainty. It also struck down a provision restricting freedom of association. The government had defended the law, approved earlier this year, as a way to strengthen transparency and compliance with international standards on money laundering and terrorist financing.
