A dictator’s ghost haunts Angola’s upcoming elections
Despite a resurgent opposition, the ruling party is expected to rig its way to victory
How much is a dead dictator worth? Quite a lot, judging by the squabble over the corpse of José Eduardo dos Santos, the kleptocratic ruler of Angola from 1979 to 2017, who died in a hospital in Barcelona on July 8th. João Lourenço, current president of the southern African country, wants to bring his predecessor’s body home for a state funeral ahead of a general election on August 24th. He hopes that a grand ceremony would unite supporters of the ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (mpla).
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Dead but not forgotten”
From the August 20th 2022 edition
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