Angola: A Successor Emerges…
Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos appointed Manuel Vicente as Minister for Economic Coordination on January 30, in a move which we believe gives some clarity over the country’s future leadership. In his new post, Vicente, the former CEO of state-owned oil giant Sonangol, is likely to have a wide range of policy-making powers and will report directly to dos Santos, as the latter embarks on a grooming process to become the next president. Vicente, who was reappointed CEO of Sonangol for another three years in early December 2011, has been replaced in his old post by board member Francisco de Lemos.
This latest development strengthens our view that Vicente is the clear frontrunner to take over the presidency (see Business Monitor Online, November 4 2011, ‘Challenges Ahead For Ruling Party Beyond 2012 Election’) at some point during the next presidential term following the September 2012 parliamentary election. BMI believes that the selection of Vicente is a shrewd political manoeuvre, as he already reportedly belongs to the president’s close decision-making circle. This would appear to rule out the prospect of an outright shift in policies and allow for dos Santos, who has been in power since 1979, to continue influencing decisions behind the scenes.