View source for National Assembly (Angola)

{{Short description|Unicameral legislature of Angola}}
{{Infobox legislature
 | name               = National Assembly
 | native_name        = Assembleia Nacional
 | native_name_lang   = pt
 | transcription_name = 
 | legislature        = 3rd National Assembly 
 | coa_pic            = Emblem of Angola.svg
 | coa_res            = 150px 
 | coa_alt            =
 | foundation         = {{start date and age|1980}}
 | house_type         = [[Unicameralism|Unicameral]]
 | body               = 
 | houses             = National Assembly
 | leader1_type       = [[President of Angola|President]]
 | leader1            = [[João Lourenço]]
 | party1             = [[MPLA]]
 | leader2_type       = [[List of Presidents of the National Assembly of Angola|President of the National Assembly]]
 | leader2            = [[Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos|Nandó]]
 | party2             = MPLA
 | election2          = 
 | leader3_type       = Secretary General
 | leader3            = [[Pedro Agostinho de Neri|Pedro Neri]] [[:pt:Pedro Agostinho de Neri|[pt]]]
 | party3             = MPLA
 | members            = 220 
 | house1             = National Assembly 
 | house2             = 
 | structure1         = File: National Assembly of Angola (2022-).svg
 | structure1_res     = 250px 
 | structure1_alt     = 
 | structure2         = 
 | structure2_res     = 
 | structure2_alt     = 
 | political_groups1  = 
'''[[Politics of Angola|Government]]''' ('''124''')
*{{Color box|{{party colour|MPLA}}|border=darkgray}} [[MPLA]] (124)
'''[[Official opposition]]''' ('''90''')
*{{Color box|{{party colour|UNITA}}|border=darkgray}} [[UNITA]] (90) 
'''Other parties''' ('''6''')
*{{Color box|{{party colour|Social Renewal Party (Angola)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Social Renewal Party (Angola)|Social Renewal]] (2)
*{{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party colour|National Liberation Front of Angola}}|border=darkgray}} [[National Liberation Front of Angola|National Liberation Front]] (2)}}
*{{Color box|{{party colour|PHA}}|border=darkgray}} [[Humanist Party of Angola|PHA]] (2)
 | political_groups2  = 
 | committees1        = 
 | committees2        = 
 | joint_committees   = 
 | voting_system1     = [[Closed list|Closed-list]] [[proportional representation]]
 | voting_system2     = 
 | last_election1     = [[2022 Angolan general election|24 August 2022]]
 | last_election2     = 
 | previous_election1 =
 | previous_election2 =
 | session_alt        = 
 | meeting_place      = National Assembly building in [[Luanda]]
 | website            = {{URL|www.parlamento.ao}}
 | footnotes          = 
 | motto              = 
 | session_room       = National Assembly Building (19898889148).jpg
 | session_res        =
 | session_room2      = 
 | session_res2       =
 | next_election1     = 2027
}}

{{Politics of Angola}}
The '''National Assembly''' ({{lang-pt|Assembleia Nacional}}) is the [[legislature|legislative branch]] of the government of [[Angola]]. The National Assembly is a [[unicameral]] body, with 220 members: 130 members elected by proportional representation and 90 members elected by provincial districts.

The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola ([[MPLA]]) has held a majority in the Assembly since independence. Due to the [[Angolan Civil War]], elections were delayed for years until they were eventually held in [[Angolan legislative election, 2008|September 2008]]. The first elections under the new constitution were held in [[Angolan legislative election, 2012|2012]], after a new constitution was adopted in 2010, increasing considerably the power of the President, and diminishing that of the National Assembly as well as that of the judiciary.

==Jurisdiction==
The Angolan government is composed of three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch of the government is composed of the President, the Vice-Presidents and the Council of Ministers. The legislative branch comprises a 220-seat [[Unicameralism|unicameral]] legislature elected from both provincial and nationwide constituencies. On account of civil wars from independence, political power has been concentrated in the presidency. There are various temporary and permanent committees in the Assembly that help in the operational and administrative functions of the Assembly.<ref>{{cite book|title=Angola Mining Laws and Regulations Handbook|date=10 June 2015|page=27|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mj_YCQAAQBAJ&q=angola+assembly&pg=PA27|publisher= International Business Publications, USA|isbn=9781433076909}}</ref>

==Selection of members==
The Unicameral Parliament of Angola was scheduled was originally constituted with 229 elected members.<ref name=IPU2>{{cite report|title=Angola elections 1980|url=http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/ANGOLA_1980_E.PDF |publisher=Inter-Parliamentary Union|year=1981|access-date=5 November 2016|pages=35–36}}</ref> for a period of three years after the elections. All Angolan citizens with 18 years of age were eligible to cast their vote. Citizens who were members of factional groups, had criminal record and who had not rehabilitated were barred from exercising their voting rights. The representatives of the provincial assemblies formed a college and they elected the representatives of the House of Parliament. The candidates were expected to be answerable to the citizens in public meetings, with their candidature approved by a majority in the province where they were getting nominated. A constitutional amendment on 19 August 1980 indicated that the Council formed during interim would be replaced by a national people's assembly and there would be 18 elected assemblies.<ref name=IPU2/>

==Premises==
The original building of the National Assembly from 1980, also called People's assembly was located in Estúdio/Restauração Cinema in urban district of Ingombota. The new building inaugurated on 9 November 2015 was initiated on 15 October 2009, while the construction started on 17 May 2010. It is a part of the Political Administrative Centre covering an area of 72,000 Sq.m and a built area of 54,000 sq.m. The Centre accommodates Presidential Palace, the Palace of Justice, the Defence Ministry, Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the Episcopal Palace and the premises of the former National Assembly headquarters. The New Assembly has 4,600 seats overall with 1,200 in meeting rooms. The compound has four blocks each with six floors, a basement parking that can accommodate 494 vehicles, out of which 34 is reserved for VIPs. The construction was carried out by Portuguese company Teixeira Duarte under the supervision of Special Works Office of the Government of Angola. The building was inaugurated by [[José Eduardo dos Santos]] on 10 November 2015.<ref>{{cite news|title=Angola: Head of State inaugurates new National Assembly building|url=http://www.angop.ao/angola/en_us/noticias/politica/2015/10/46/Angola-Head-State-inaugurates-new-National-Assembly-building,54703b03-2b35-41fb-92db-cca03fe0f0b7.html|access-date=6 November 2016|date=10 November 2015|publisher=ANGOP}}</ref>

==Performance of political parties==
[[Jose Eduardo dos Santos]] won the 1980 and 1986 elections and became the first elected President of the country. At the time, the country was a [[one-party state]] known as the [[Angolan People's Republic]], with the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola - Party of Labour ([[MPLA-PT]]) as the sole legal party.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nohlen|first1= D|last2= Krennerich|first2= M |last3= Thibaut|first3= B |year=1999|title=Elections in Africa: A data handbook|pages=71–74 |isbn=0-19-829645-2}}</ref> As a result, most candidates were members of the party, and two-thirds were re-nominated from [[Angolan legislative election, 1980|1980 elections]] in the [[Angolan legislative election, 1986|1986 elections]]. The [[Angolan Civil War|civil war]] continued with UNITA fighting against the MLPA, with both parties taking international support. There was a cease-fire agreement during 1989, with the leader of UNITA, [[Jonas Savimbi]], but it collapsed soon. As a part of its peace efforts, MLPA dropped its theme of [[Marxism–Leninism]] and moved over to [[democratic socialism]]. During May 1991, Dos Santos and Savimbi signed a multiparty democracy agreement in [[Lisbon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/ang1991bicesse.htm|title=Angola: The Bicesse Accords|publisher=EISA|access-date=6 November 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902221834/http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/ang1991bicesse.htm|archive-date=2 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Angola profile - Timeline|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13037271|publisher=BBC|access-date=6 November 2016|date=4 June 2015}}</ref> Dos Santos won the 1992, 2008 and 2012 elections as well in the Presidency elections, but different parties started performing. During the [[Angolan general election, 1992|1992 elections]], when the first multi-party elections were held, UNITA secured 34.1 per cent vote in the assembly and won 70 seats. But during the 2008 and 2012, their win was reduced to 16 and 32 seats respectively, while the ruling MPLA won 191 and 175 seats respectively.<ref name=Africa>{{cite web|url=http://africanelections.tripod.com/ao.html |title=President elections in Angola 1992|publisher=African Elections Database|access-date=6 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|title=Angola elections 1986|url=http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/ANGOLA_1986_E_1.PDF |publisher=Inter-Parliamentary Union|year=1986|access-date=5 November 2016|pages=31–32}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of presidents of the National Assembly of Angola]]
*[[Politics of Angola]]
*[[List of legislatures by country]]

==References==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20180224032515/http://comissaoconstitucional.ao/ Constitutional Commission] {{in lang|pt}}
*[http://www.parlamento.ao/ Page under construction] {{in lang|pt}}

{{Africa legislatures}}
{{Angola topics}}
{{National unicameral legislatures}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Politics of Angola]]
[[Category:Political organizations based in Angola]]
[[Category:National legislatures|Angola]]
[[Category:Unicameral legislatures|Angola]]