ANGOLA

Officer of Interest and Contact Information:
Mr. S. M.
Director of Documentation and Information
Assembleia Nacional de Angola, Avenida 1º Congresso do MPLA

Information on Member Country Parliament:
Name of the Parliament: National Assembly of Angola
Type of Parliament: Unicameral
Title of the Presiding Officer: Speaker of the National Assembly

Documents produced by the parliament:
The following documents are produced in Portuguese:
· Laws
· Resolutions
· Motions

List of Political parties in the House and their leaders:
· Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) - Mr. Bornito de Sousa;
· National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) - Mr. Constantino Zeferino;
· Social Renovated Party (PRS) - Mr. Lindo Bernardo Tito;
· Angolan National Liberation Front (FNLA) - Mr. Benjamim Manuel da Silva;
· Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) - Mrs. Anália de Victoria Pereira;
· Democratic Renewal Party (PRD) - Mr. Rui Augusto Ribeiro da Costa;
· Angola Youth, Worker, Peasant Alliance Party (PAJOCA) - Mr. Alexandre Sebastiao Andre;
· Angolan National Democratic Party (PNDA) - Mr. Geraldo Pereira da Silva;
· Democratic Party for Progress- Angolan National Alliance (PDP-ANA) - Mr. N´Fulupinga Lando Victor;
· Angolan Democratic Forum (FDA) - Mr. Dias da Silva;
· Social Democratic Party (PSD) - Mr. Bengui Pedro João;
· Democratic Alliance (AD-COLIGAÇÃO) - Joao Baptista Vieira Lopes.

Structure/Organization of the Parliament:
223 Deputies elected on basis of a direct and universal scrutiny, for a 4 years term, comprise the National Assembly. Deputies are elected from 18 multi-member (5 seats) provincial constituencies, 1 multi-member (130 seats) national constituency and 1 multi-member (3 seats) constituency representing the Angolan community living abroad.

Generally speaking, the mandate of Deputies starts with the first National Assembly's plenary session following the parliamentary elections and ends with the first session after the subsequent elections.

Besides the Speaker - who is elected by simple majority of votes, under the proposal of the majority party - the National Assembly's Presiding Officers include four Deputy-Speakers and four Table Clerks, proposed by political parties in proportion of their seats.

When the House is sitting, two Deputy-Speakers and two Table Clerks, who shall assist the Speaker in conducting the business of the House, only comprise the Chair/Presidium.

During the period when the Assembly is not effectively operating, a Standing Committee - composed by the Speaker, two Deputy-Speakers and twelve Deputies nominated by political parties in accordance with the proportional principle - replaces it.

Nine Committees assure the oversight of the executive action and, if deemed necessary, Ad hoc Committees may be set up. Regarding the former, it is currently working the Constitutional Commission, with the purpose of drafting a new Angola's Constitution.

Frequency of elections: 4 years (Vide brief history)

Website of Parliament: www.parlamento.ao

Brief history:
The National Assembly represents all the Angolans and was set up on 26 of November 1992 as the result of the first ever Angola's multiparty elections held on 29 and 30 of September of that same year. In the parliamentary polls MPLA obtained an absolute the majority with 129 - from the 220 seats comprised by the Assembly - as against 70 for UNITA, 6 for PRS; 5 for FNLA, 3 for PLD and 1 for PAJOCA, PNDA, PDP-ANA, FDA, AD-COLIGAÇÃO, PRD and PSD.

Despite the fact that the United Nations and other international observers had regarded the elections results as generally free and fair, nevertheless, they were rejected by UNITA, who has launched the country into a new war. Therefore, for objective reasons it was not possible to organize new elections and that is why the National Assembly decided to extend the mandate of Members of Parliament for another term.

Type of Government: Semi-presidential

Political parties outside Parliament: About 140