Joao Lourenco was inaugurated as president of Angola yesterday, at a ceremony in Luanda. He succeeded Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who had been running Angola for 38 years. Lourenco read an oath at the ceremony, and took power, after the ruling MPLA party won last month's election. Outgoing President Dos Santos was at the ceremony, but is reportedly in poor health. The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola, MPLA, has governed since Angola's hard-fought independence from Portugal, in 1975. The party won 61% of the vote in August, although this was a sharp drop in support from the previous election in 2012. Dos Santos is to remain MPLA party chief and new laws limit the unfettered presidential power he enjoys. To chat about this and other related matters we are joined on the line by:
Dr Justin Pearce: Research Fellow: Department of Politics and International Studies: University of Cambridge
Charlie Khumalo: Executive Producer: Portuguese Service: Channel Africa
Dr Alex Vines OBE. Research Director: Area Studies and International Law; Head, Africa Programme at CIVICUS
