Angola: Bicesse Accords signed 25 Years ago

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Angola: Bicesse Accords signed 25 Years ago

4:49 CAT | 31 May 2016

25 years ago, May 31, 1991, the Angolan Government and UNITA rebel movement signed in Portugal the Bicesse Accords that put an end to a long civil war in the country.

The ceremony of signing took place at “Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Turismo de Estoril (Portugal).

Although it did not bring a lasting peace to Angola, the Peace Accords considerably transformed the Angolan political life, as with the cessation of hostilities, conditions were created to project the country to democracy and free flow of people and goods.

After nearly thirty years of pain, hardship and grief, caused by a cruel and devastating war, the Angolan people had, with the signing of the Peace Accords, the possibility to look with optimism and trust the future, but everything went down the drains as the conflict broke out again. The armed conflict was the main cause of death of thousands of people, thousands of displaced, hundreds of orphaned children and the destruction of much of the infrastructure and the contraction of a high external debt. The short time of peace and relative peace that Angolans lived showed that without war, Angola could give economically and socially a leap towards development. In the document signing ceremony, the President of the Republic, José Eduardo dos Santos, said that the Angolan people and the country needed peace and full stability. Also needed understanding and support of the international community to build the future.

According to the Head of State, “in all this there was also a successful joint effort at the international level, which helped to mitigate the differences and lay the foundations for a peaceful and open coexistence among all Angolans.”

“I have to express on behalf of the Angolan people and their Government, and also on my own behalf, the most sincere gratitude to the Government of the Portuguese Republic, for the committed, free, sensible and wise manner it exercised this mediation effort between the Government of Angola and Unita,” acknowledged the President. Bicesse provided for a “cease-fire agreement,” the responsibility of the Government of Angola and Unita, acting under the Joint Political-Military Commission (CCPM), established in terms of fundamental principles for establishing peace in the country. With the agreement then, Angola started the democratisation process, which led the country to the first multiparty and presidential elections held on 29 and 30 September 1992. With the result of the final results, ratified by the then representative in Angola of the UN Secretary General, Margareth Anstee, there was the confirmation that the elections monitored by international observers, won by the ruling MPLA party, were free and fair.

The results were disputed and the country plunged back into a war that stunned the then representative of the UN Secretary-General, Margareth Anstee.

As a result of the new civil war, the number of victims tripled as compared to previous conflicts, as well as increased the number displaced people, hunger, misery and destruction of infrastructure.

In the process, ” the United Nations sent to Angola Alioune Blondin Beye, a Malian diplomat, to replace Margareth Anstee, in mediating new talks and find an African solution to the conflict.

From there, the Zambian capital, Lusaka, hosted new negotiations between the government and Unita that, after more than a year of debates, on 20 November 1994, the Lusaka Protocol was initialed. Even with the Lusaka Agreement, armed attacks in various parts of the country were recorded constantly, until after negotiations without the interference of foreign mediation, Angolans understood that there was a need for the cessation of hostilities. So, it was signed on 4 April 2002 the Memorandum of Understanding Complementary to the Lusaka Protocol between the Government and Unita, which marked the end of the war in Angola.

Six years after establishing peace in the country, Angolans held new elections in 2008. It was only a legislative election with the participation of 14 political parties and coalitions.

The final results confirmed the MPLA victory with 81.64% of the vote, winning 191 seats of the 220 in the National Assembly. UNITA got 10.39% and 16 MPs. PRS ranked third with 3.17% and eight seats. FNLA was left with only 1, 11% of the votes and three MPs.

The New Democracy (ND) coalition, with 1.20%, elected two MPs. The new Angolan Constitution, enacted in 2010, finally abolished the presidential election, replaced by general elections, that is the election of the President, the Vice President and the members of the National Assembly.

Under the new scheme, the head of the list of the largest party automatically becomes the President of the Republic. Number two on the list is the vice president. Thus, new elections were held on 31 August 2012 and the MPLA won 71.84% of votes (4,135,503), electing 175 MPs. At the same time, José Eduardo dos Santos and Manuel Vicente were elected President and Vice President, respectively. In second place came the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita), with 1,074,565 votes (18.66%), electing 32 MPs. The Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola (CASA-CE) totalled 345,589 votes (6%), by electing eight members. The Social Renewal Party (PRS) won 98,233 votes, representing 1.70%, and elected three MPs.

With 1.13% of the vote (65,163 votes) came the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), which elected two MPs. The other parties and coalitions competing which failed to reach 0.50% of the vote and, under the law, have become extinct.