Parliamentary elections were held in Angola on 5 and 6 September 2008, as announced by President José Eduardo dos Santos on 27 December 2007. They were the first since the 1992 general elections, which had led to the outbreak of the second phase of the Angolan Civil War, which continued until 2002.

The results showed the ruling People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) winning 82% of the vote and 191 of 220 seats in the Parliament of Angola. The main opposition UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) won 10%. The international response was mixed, with the European Commission, the United States and the Southern African Development Community praising the elections as generally fair, while Human Rights Watch has questioned the legitimacy of this result. UNITA accepted the MPLA's victory.

Background Voter registration was to take place in late 2006 and through 2007. It was originally meant to be held in 1997, but was postponed numerous times due to organizational and logistical problems. In early August 2007, one month before the end of the registration period, more than seven million voters had already registered for the election."Seven million Angolans registered for 2008 general elections" , Xinhua (People's Daily Online), 6 August 2007. Over eight million were registered by August 2008.Candido Mendes, "Doubt arise as campaigning begin in Angola", Sapa-AFP (IOL), 4 August 2008.

Campaign

Parties and candidates The names of the candidates and parties contesting the election were to be announced on 22 July 2008."Angolan Constitutional Court to announce candidates for parliamentary elections" , Xinhua (People's Daily Online), 18 July 2008.

Of the 34 lists who filed to contest the election, the following ten parties and four coalitions were accepted:"Angola's Constitutional Court clears 14 candidates for parliamentary elections" , Xinhua (People's Daily Online), 24 July 2008. the ruling MPLA, the leading opposition parties UNITA, National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) and Social Renewal Party (PRS), as well as the Democratic Renewal Party (PRD), the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), Party of the Alliance of Youth, Workers and Farmers of Angola (PAJOCA), Party for Democratic Support and Progress of Angola (PADEPA), the Democratic Party for Progress - Angolan National Alliance (PDP-ANA), the Front for Democracy (FpD) and four coalitions: the Democratic Angola – Coalition (AD), New Democracy Electoral Union (ND), the Electoral Political Platform (PPE) and the Angolan Fraternal Forum Coalition (FOFAC).

The Angolan Democratic Party (PDA), the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Republican Party of Angola (PREA) were turned down, as were PSA, Angolan National Democratic Party, PACIA, UNDA, MPR/SN, PDUNA, PDPA - NTO BAKO and PSPA.

5,198 candidates are standing in the election.Michael Georgy, "Free and fair election in Angola?", Reuters (IOL), 13 August 2008.

Dos Santos said that the election would "be exemplary to the world", while UNITA leader Isaias Samakuva said that it would not be followed by a crisis, as occurred in the aftermath of the 2007 Kenyan election and the 2008 Zimbabwean election.

Campaigning Campaigning began on 5 August 2008. The parties were each allowed five minutes on television and ten minutes on the radio per day for campaigning purposes. There were also programmes on television, each lasting an hour, that were devoted to discussing the government's accomplishments in a positive light; UNITA leader Isaias Samakuva described this as "shocking", while expressing confidence that the people would not believe these programmes."MPLA set for clean sweep in Angolan polls", The Star (IOL), 27 August 2008, page 4. Prior to the start of the campaign period, MPLA posters and symbols were already plentiful in major cities. The MPLA emphasizes its work in rebuilding and developing the country following the end of the civil war in 2002, and the party was perceived as having a very strong institutional advantage. It was widely expected to win the election. UNITA concentrated its campaign in rural areas, while the remaining parties tended to conduct their small-scale campaigns, which were characterized by festive gatherings, in Luanda, the capital.

The UNITA campaign stressed the party's claims that the MPLA government had made insufficient progress in rebuilding the country following the end of the civil war and had failed to alleviate poverty. UNITA alleged that the campaign occurred in "a climate of threats, intimidation and violence", that four of the party's supporters were killed, and that some parts of the country were effectively MPLA "fiefdoms" where campaigning by other parties was impossible."Angola prepares for landmark peacetime vote", AFP (IOL), 3 September 2008.

According to Radio Ecclesia, 13 people were arrested on 11 August for allegedly holding an unauthorized rally and causing traffic disruption while campaigning for UNITA in Rangel, near Luanda. On 13 August, campaigning members of UNITA were attacked by over 100 MPLA supporters at Londuimbali in Huambo Province, according to UNITA official Alcides Sakala; he said that the MPLA supporters were armed with "machetes, stones and sticks". The clash was reportedly broken up by police firing into the air.Henrique Almeida, "MPLA criticises HRW", Reuters (IOL), 15 August 2008.

Each party was planned to receive about one million dollars from the government for campaign purposes. Opposition parties said that they had not received any money by early August, and Front for Democracy leader Filomeno Vieira Lopes expressed concern that the money might not be distributed until after the election was held, as was the case for the 1992 election. The PDP-ANA complained that the amount was too small, describing it as a "laughable" sum. The PLD also said that the amount was insufficient. Furthermore, according to PLD President Analia Victoria Pereira, the MPLA had full access to the resources of the government and military to assist in its campaign. The parties eventually received the campaign money that was promised, although they protested that it came late due to procedural delays. Wary of such interference or disruption due to MPLA institutional influence, most of the parties chose to print materials for the election in South Africa rather than Angola.Antonio da Silva, "Angola gearing for election", The Star (IOL), 3 September 2008, page 4.

At a rally on 22 August, dos Santos said that the election marked "a new era for democracy"."US observers to monitor Angola poll", Sapa-AFP (IOL), 28 August 2008.

Conduct

Observers and assessments of the election The African Union was invited to send observers."Angola invites AU to monitor parliamentary elections" , Xinhua (People's Daily Online), 22 July 2008. The European Union also sent a team of 90 observers."EU deploys observer mission for Angola poll", AFP (EUbusiness.com), 1 August 2008.

In a report on 13 August, Human Rights Watch—which sent missions to Luanda and four provinces—said that campaigning was not occurring in an atmosphere "free from intimidation or pressure", and it predicted that the election would not be free and fair if the process continued along the same course. The report stressed the need "to safeguard freedom of assembly and expression and access to the media by all stakeholders, and to establish an impartial national electoral body"; it also said that the government had not "provided adequate security to political parties" and was failing "to ensure political tolerance and full participation of citizens." Prime Minister Fernando Dias Dos Santos responded to the report on the same day with an assurance that the election would be "free, fair and transparent". MPLA spokesman Norberto dos Santos also replied to the report on 14 August, saying that it was "offensive and has no basis of truth". He accused Human Rights Watch of interfering in the election and Angola's internal affairs.

Dan Mozena, the United States Ambassador to Angola, said in an interview with Radio Ecclesia on 28 August that the US would send 40 observers for the election. He said that expectations for the election were high and spoke approvingly of the conduct of the electoral process up to that point; according to Mozena, the election had the "potential to be a model for the coming elections in Africa if all the actors continue to play their part".

Human Rights Watch released another statement in early September, expressing doubt that the election would be fair. According to the statement, the MPLA benefited from "state funding and media coverage", while the other parties received their allotted campaign money late. The statement also said that Human Rights Watch had "documented ... intimidation of the opposition and media, interference in the electoral commission, and violent incidents against the opposition" in the period prior to the start of campaigning. Human Rights Watch's Africa director, Georgette Gagnon, accused the government of being "more concerned with keeping the MPLA's grip on power than with moving towards genuine political accountability by giving Angolans a real chance to choose their government.""Angola election unfair - HRW", AFP, 3 September 2008.

The head of the EU mission called the polls "a disaster" early in the first day of voting, stating that of the three voting stations in Luanda they had visited, none had been prepared for voters, they lacked voting lists, and voting had not started yet at any of them. However, it appeared that the problems were concentrated in Luanda only."Angola vote organisation 'a disaster': EU observer", AFP (EUbusiness.com), 5 September 2008. The EU observers later stated that bribes and intimidation were widespread.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) observation commission (80 observers were sent) considered the poll "credible, peaceful and transparent"."SADC considers Angola's polls credible, transparent", Xinhua, 7 September 2008. Luisa Morgantini, the head of the EU observer mission, said at a press conference on 8 September that the organization of the election was poor, although she remarked positively on voters' behavior. She declined to say whether she thought the election was free and fair on the grounds that such a classification was vague. The Pan-African Parliament observer mission gave only half-hearted approval of the election, saying that voter education was inadequate and suggesting that the media was dominated by the MPLA. José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, gave an essentially positive assessment, describing the election as "a step towards the consolidation of a multiparty democracy, a fundamental element for peace, stability, and socio-economic development"."Angolan opposition party accepts defeat", Sapa-Associated Press (IOL), 9 September 2008.

Election day