President Dos Santos cleared to stand for next poll

Angola's main opposition party, UNITA, said it was unfazed by a Supreme Court ruling on Monday allowing President Eduardo dos Santos to stand in the country's first post-war election. On Friday the Supreme Court ruled that parts of a new electoral law, reportedly preventing the veteran leader from seeking re-election, were unconstitutional. The legislation will have to return to parliament for amendment. Dos Santos has been at the helm in Angola since 1979, and analysts said it was "difficult to pinpoint a successor", should he step down. UNITA said it hoped the resolution of the issue would mean the government was going to speed up preparations for the national elections, tentatively scheduled for next year. "We are not too concerned that dos Santos may stand for the elections next year - that is a decision for the MPLA - but now we want there to be more emphasis on making sure that the election does happen next year, and that people are ready to vote. These elections will bring about constitutional and political stability," UNITA's secretary for public administration, Alcides Sakala, told IRIN. Although the Angolan authorities have expressed their commitment to holding a national poll, opposition parties said preparations for the landmark vote have been slow. They have also complained because the proposed national electoral commission, charged with overseeing the election, was largely made up of government appointees. Sakala said, "(Preparing for elections) needs a lot of organisation. We have to do a lot of things and we need time. We don't want to rush again as we did in 1992. These must be decisive elections so that things can get back to normal." Observers noted that the Dos Santos candidacy for the top job was a foregone conclusion, as he was the "unifying force" of the MPLA. "Because a lot of the top MPLA positions and appointments are done in secret, it is difficult to assess who might compete with Dos Santos for the lead position in the party. There is also an argument that Dos Santos should stand, in order for him to use the opportunity to groom a successor," commented Martinho Chachiua, the Angola programme officer at the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa. Angola's last poll in 1992 was interrupted when the then rebel group, UNITA, disputed the results and returned to the bush to continue the war against government forces. No second round of presidential voting therefore took place, and Dos Santos was never officially sworn in. He has, however, been internationally recognised as president since 1992.