shaking up

Lourenço’s Angola: The winners, the losers and the escape artists

in depth

This article is part of the dossier:

João Lourenço’s Angola

By Estelle Maussion

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Posted on May 13, 2021 18:47

João Lourenço’s ascension to the presidency put an end to the influence of Isabel dos Santos, Manuel Vicente and General Kopelipa, yet other figures had managed to stay put after a regime change. Read on for a quick overview of the post-Dos Santos political landscape.

This is part 4 of a 6-part series

Since João Lourenço took office as president of Angola, the Dos Santos family’s power has been severely curtailed. This break with the past has produced winners and losers, shaking up the power structure within the president’s party, the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA). With Angola’s political and economic landscape in full flux, we take stock of a revolution that is far from over.

The winners

  • Vera Daves

jad20210504-serie-angola-3-vera-daves © Vera Daves, in Lisbon on 15 December 2015 © Orlando Almeida / Global Imagens

An unfamiliar face to the general public until she was appointed finance minister in October 2019, Vera Daves was the first woman to ever hold this position. Now in her 30s, Daves is the leading force within Lourenço’s administration.

In addition to negotiating a debt moratorium, representing Angola at the IMF and controlling Angola’s (official) coffers, she has become part of the MPLA’s politburo. Is she the face of the party’s new

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