Angola Opposition Denounces Backslide in Democracy
Angola's main opposition party Unita expressed concern Wednesday about what it called the deteriorating state of democracy in the oil-producing southern African country, after a rare meeting with its longtime president.
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita) said it feared a reversal in progress made since a devastating civil war with its rival the ruling MPLA party ended more than a decade ago.
"Since 2002 we have started a process of democratization and national reconciliation, but for some time now we have been backsliding," said party leader Isaias Samakuva a day after meeting President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.
"We are concerned that this regression assumes dangerous proportions which could drag the country back to a situation of instability," he added.
Encounters between the opposition leader and Dos Santos, who will soon celebrate 35 years in power, are very rare. The pair met for an hour Tuesday -- their first meeting since 2011.
Unita lost against the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) during elections in 2008 and 2012.
Massive oil reserves have secured the country 10-percent growth on average in the past decade, but the majority of people live in abject poverty.
Authorities have brutally suppressed criticism and anti-government protests.
"For us it's important that Angolans start talking to each other to solve their problems," said Samakuva.
Source: Agence France Presse
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