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Angola’s president, João Lourenço, has relieved of their posts long-serving governors of the provinces of Bié, Lunda Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huíla and Zaire who had been appointed during the 39-year rule as president of Lourenço’s precedessor, José Eduardo dos Santos.
The news came in a statement released on Wednesday by the president’s office that said the governors were relieved of their positions by decree, for reasons of “convenience”. New governors were appointed in a separate decree.
Among the outgoing governors is Álvaro Bangera Neto, who on Saturday was elected MPLA secretary-general; he is replaced in Bié by Pereira Alfredo. Kundi Paihama, a veteran general and former minister of defence is replaced as governor of Cunene province by Virgílio de Resurreição Adriano Tyova.
In Lunda Sul, Ernesto Fernando Kiteculo is replaced by Daniel Félix Neto, while in Huambo, João Baptista Kussumua, another party veteran and former minister, is replaced by Joana Lina Ramos Baptista Cândido.
In Huíla, João Marcelino Tyipinge, who has governed there since 2012, passes the baton to Luís Manuel da Fonseca Nunes, while in Zaire province José Joanes André, also in office since 2012 (among other government posts) is replaced by Pedro Makita Armando Júlia.
The changes at the top of the six provinces comes after Monday’s overhaul of the secretariat of the MPLA’s political bureau, all 10 members of which were changed.
Lourenço, who has been president of Angola for a year, was on Saturday elected leader of the governing MPLA at an extraordinary party congress, so consolidating his power in the party as well as the country.
Dos Santos had continued to lead the MPLA even after stepping down as head of state following his decision not to stand again in the general elections of August 2017. While Lourenço was his chosen successor, the new president has in the past year replaced the holders of many key positions in the government apparatus and state enterprises, including Isabel dos Santos, a daughter of the former president, at Sonangol, the state energy concern that is the country’s largest company.
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