President Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola who was in power for 37 years, will step down before next year’s general election. Defence Minister Joao Lourenco will be taking over as MPLA leader, a senior member of the party confirmed. At a meeting of the MPLA (People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola) on Friday in Luanda, Dos Santos, 74, launched his party’s campaign for the election. But he declined to say if he would opt for a new term. “Our goal is to win the election,” he said. “The key to success will be the discipline and the unity of all our candidates.” President Jose made a surprise announcement in March that he would step down in 2018 though he gave no further details about his quitting plan.
President Dos Santos of Angola to step down in 2017
