Angola’s ‘Inorganic’ Techno-Democracy
In Angola, the intersection of technology and governance is forging an unconventional democratic landscape—one that emerges spontaneously and outside traditional political structures. While the regime has long maintained control through conventional means, the rapid proliferation of digital platforms, social media, and encrypted communication is enabling civic engagement beyond state oversight.
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In 2027, general elections are scheduled to be held in Angola. The forthcoming elections are set to pose a considerable challenge to the political party that has been in power since 1975, the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA). The primary reasons for this are the decline in oil-related revenues and the fact that 66 per cent of the population are under the age of 25. This generation did not experience the Angolan Civil War (1975–2002), and their expectations are not driven by animosity, but rather by a desire for a better life and development. It is noteworthy that since 2008, which marked first elections following the civil war, the MPLA has exhibited a consistent decline, with a decrease of approximately 10 per cent in each subsequent election. The party’s electoral performance is demonstrated by the following percentage of votes received in successive general elections: 81 per cent in 2008, 71 per cent in 2012, 61 per cent in 2017 and 51 per cent in 2022. Should this trend continue, it is forecast that the ruling party will be unsuccessful in the next elections, with a predicted voting share of only 41 per cent.
In this context, the Luanda government is proposing a change to the electoral law, which, it claimed, is intended to make the electoral process more transparent and simpler. However, from the perspective of the main opposition party, União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (UNITA), the proposed changes are a means of accentuating the possibilities of electoral fraud, since they make the monitoring of the process by extra-official or independent bodies more difficult than it already was.
Historically, the process of passing laws was straightforward and adhered to the established procedures of classical representative democracy. The party which holds the majority in the National Assembly (parliament), the MPLA, presented its proposal, which was approved after a period of debate, and the law came into force, with no further discussion. The population demonstrated a limited level of involvement, and for the most part, lacked a comprehensive understanding of the events transpiring, or only possessed a hazy awareness of the situation. The media in Angola conformed to the conventional twentieth-century paradigm, characterized by the state’s direct or indirect oversight of television, national radio, and newspapers. This paradigm included TPA (Angola’s public television), Rádio Nacional de Angola and Jornal de Angola. Several outlets were available for the expression of opposition views, including Rádio Despertar, a radio station with relatively limited reach, and private newspapers such as Semanário Angolense, which were frequently acquired by individuals with close ties to the establishment and subsequently ceased publication. It is evident that the opposition had a voice, albeit one that was constrained in its scope. The state wielded significant influence over communication, thereby possessing considerable means of exerting its authority in this domain. The potential for public and published opinion was constrained. Democracy was characterized by formal, representative and parliamentary dimensions, subject to the influence or control of the party in power...
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