Angola's Dos Santos Abolishes Direct Presidential Elections

José Eduardo Van-Dúnem dos Santos became the president of Angola in September 1979, succeeding the founding president Augustinho Neto. By 2010, dos Santos had been in power for 31 years but struggled with popularity.

On 21 January 2010, the parliament, entirely controlled by the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), approved a new constitution. This constitution, which dos Santos formally assented to on 5 February 2010, abolished the citizens' right to directly elect their president.

Instead, it stipulated that the leader of the majority party in the National Assembly would automatically assume the presidency. This change extended dos Santos's unelected tenure until a new vote in 2012, marking a significant power-grab by the MPLA without any input from the electorate.