Angola's President Lourenco Outlines Plans For Second Term

President Joao Lourenco began his second five-year term in office when he was sworn in on Thursday September 15, 2022. Lourenco won the election by 51.17 of the votes for The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). The close result has not been well received by opposition parties.

President Lourenco said he is committed to address the nation's issues and said he would be "guided by the Constitution and laws for decision-making, for the defence and protection of minorities."

The president said his government will live up to its commitment on climate change - with concrete actions for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, aimed at protecting the planet from climate change and its consequences for humanity. 

Transformation in the armed forces is also on the cards as the president said the defence of territorial integrity and internal public order is sacred for a country like Angola that has lived through decades of armed conflict.

President Lourenco has been a fervent fighter against corruption with his efforts to dismantle the influence of his predecessor, the late former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, whose four-decade rule left Angola one of the continent's most corrupt nations. In 2020 the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reported that Europe started a clampdown on business empires grown by Angolans during the rule of Dos Santos.

Angola's new Vice-President Esperança da Costa, has also been sworn in.