Angolan president says new constitution a priority

By Henrique Almeida, LUANDA (Reuters), Sat 29 Nov 2008

Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos called on Friday for a new constitution to allow the first presidential poll in almost two decades, a vote he is widely expected to win.

Dos Santos, who has ruled the oil-producing African country for 29 years, said the new constitution might decree that a president is elected by parliament instead of by popular vote, as is currently the case.

Such a move alarms some opposition parties, who say the changes would be unconstitutional and would almost guarantee dos Santos would be re-elected as president since his party clinched more than 81 percent of the vote in a parliamentary election in September, "That would make things a lot easier for dos Santos," said Vicente Pinto de Andrade, an independent candidate for president, citing the ruling MPLA party's more than two-thirds majority in parliament.

"There are limits to what can be changed in the new constitution and one of those limits is the way a president is elected. Any changes to that law would be unconstitutional."

Dos Santos said the new legislation would define the best path to follow.

"Only then will we have the conditions to announce a calendar for the presidential election," he told his ruling MPLA party in a broadcast on Radio Nacional de Angola.

Dos Santos said the new constitution. of which he gave no details, should be approved in 2009. The president has often said Angola, one of Africa's fastest growing economies, needs to reform its laws to reinforce democracy.

The last presidential poll took place during a lull in fighting in 1992. Late UNITA rebel leader Jonas Savimbi lost and the conflict resumed. He was killed in 2002.

Angola's economy has been growing in double digits since the end of the war and it now rivals Nigeria as sub-Saharan Africa's biggest oil producer.

However, almost two-thirds of the 16.5 million-strong population survive on less than $2 day.

Dos Santos said the fight against poverty would remain a priority. His government is to spend one-third of next year's $42 billion budget to improve the lives of ordinary Angolans.

"Our priority will continue to be to improve education, health, housing, water and sewage systems and the fight against poverty," said dos Santos.