Press reports indicate that Angola’s parliament will adopt a new constitution in the new week, extending the rule of President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, who has served since 1979. The constitution will replace the formally semi-presidential structure with a pure presidential system, replacing the prime minister with a vice president. It is seen as strengthening the presidency. The timetable for adoption of the constitution was hastened in response to last week’s attack on the Togolese football team in Cabinda.
Cabinda is a non-contiguous enclave rich in oil. A separatist movement has been fighting for independence for several decades, and violence has continued even after the broader Angolan civil war ended in 2002. One can thus see constitutional conflict as underpinning the attack on the football players–like other acts of terrorism, this attack will call attention to the situation there. The immediate result, however, appears to be a strengthening of the authoritarian hand that guides Angola.