Success Stories
Civil Society Expressing a Newfound Sense of Optimism about the Future
Angolans eager to vote in first elections since 1992
Photo: J. Neves
Many Angolans have known nothing but war. Since its independence from Portugal in 1975, the country has been engaged in almost 30 years of extraordinarily violent civil conflict which devastated most of its infrastructure and claimed thousands of lives. However, the conflict seems to have definitively ended with the death of Jonas Savimbi, leader of the UNITA (National Union for Total Angolan Independence) rebel movement, in April 2002, opening a new window of opportunity for a peaceful transition to a full democracy. In the negotiated peace agreement which ended the war (the Luena accord), both the MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) ruling party and UNITA have publicly pledged to participate in democratic political processes, including open national elections. Although much remains to be done to rebuild the country's devastated infrastructure and relieve the desperate poverty in which too many people live, most Angolans are now expressing a newfound sense of optimism about the future.
As noted above, the MPLA has committed to holding national elections, expected to be announced for 2005. This is a groundbreaking development, as the MPLA, led by President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, has ruled the country uninterrupted since independence, and is regularly criticized for its lack of transparency and accountability. The country's only other elections were held in 1992, but the electoral process failed when UNITA failed to honor the results, plunging the country back into war.
USAID was one of the first donors to begin providing elections support. In 2003, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) began a comprehensive elections support program which includes civil society support, political party strengthening, and technical support in the development of elections-related policies and legal norms.
Not surprisingly, most Angolans express mixed emotions about prospects for national elections: hope and enthusiasm about the opportunity to participate in this key democratic process are tempered by fear and skepticism resulting from the only other experience many Angolans have had with political participation. Nevertheless, demonstrating once again the incredible resilience and spirit which characterize the Angolan people, citizens are already enthusiastically entering into debates and discussions around the issue. Civil society groups have organized workshops and debates to discuss elections-related issues, and several coalitions have formed to put pressure on the government to set a date.
NDI's work with civil society has resulted in the creation of a first-ever "Civil Society Elections Coalition." In September, 2003, NDI convened a meeting of several Angolan NGOs who had expressed interest in participating in the election process. Seven organizations ultimately decided to form a coalition to work together on three priority issues: legislative reform; electoral education; and conflict resolution. The coalition recently presented itself and its mission to the Angola donors forum elections subgroup. The fact that these institutions - most of which are less than 10 years old - were able to form this coalition is an example of the growing maturity of Angolan civil society organizations, as well as an example of the success of USAID's work in building civil society coalitions and helping strengthen their capacity to work together as part of its civil society strengthening program.
