Elections in Angola

The National Electoral Commission (Comissão Nacional Eleitoral (CNE)) administers elections in Angola. It prepares the election, organizes and coordinates its conduct, supervises the counting, and publishes provisional and final results. The president calls the election by presidential decree after consulting the Council of the Republic (Conselho da República) and the CNE. The election may be called no more than 90 days before the end of the term; regular elections are preferably held in the second half of August of the year in which the five-year term ends. The exact date for 2027 had not yet been set as of 5 September 2026. Voters do not vote in a separate presidential race. One vote is cast for a party list or coalition list. The lead candidate of the most-voted national list becomes president, and number two on that list becomes vice president. The National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional) is elected by proportional representation: 130 seats are allocated according to the total votes from inside and outside the country, and five additional seats are assigned to each provincial constituency. The D’Hondt method applies in the provincial constituencies; the order on the list determines which candidates receive a mandate. The current administrative division of 21 provinces and the constitutional provision of 130 seats plus five seats per province produce a calculated total of 235 seats for 2027, but the official seat configuration was still open. Angolan citizens aged 18 or older may vote inside or outside the country if they are properly registered and are not subject to a legal disqualification. The right to vote is exercised personally, once, freely and secretly, and is also a civic duty. Persons who have been legally incapacitated, persons with a legally recognized severe mental incapacity, and persons definitively convicted while imprisoned are excluded. Employers must give employees the necessary time to vote. The automatic electoral registration (Registo Eleitoral Oficioso) registers eligible voters automatically, compulsorily and permanently. For updating the registration and confirming that the person is still alive, the proof of life (prova de vida) process for the 2027 election runs from 15 June 2026 to 31 March 2027. Inside the country, it usually takes place at a One-Stop Public Service Desk (Balcão Único de Atendimento ao Público (BUAP)); abroad, it takes place at 26 diplomatic or consular missions in twelve countries from January to March 2027. Inside the country, an identity card (Bilhete de Identidade (BI)) or voter card (Cartão de Eleitor) serves as proof; abroad, a passport is used. Expired documents are also accepted for the update. Anyone without an identity document must first apply for one through the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (Ministério da Justiça e dos Direitos Humanos). The data are transferred from the BDIC to the central voter database, also known as the FICM, the Computer File of Adult Citizens (Ficheiro Informático de Cidadãos Maiores). The authorities planned for approximately 16.7 million potential voters, 634 BUAPs and 10,747 polling workers. No voter fee is officially listed, although obtaining an identity document may be a separate procedure. The CNE publishes the voter lists for each polling station no later than 30 days before the election. Voters generally vote at the polling station (mesa) where they are registered. Each polling station serves no more than 750 voters and consists of a president, a secretary and two tellers; at least one member should speak the language predominant locally. Polling stations open at 7:00 a.m. Admission ends at 16:00, and the polling station normally closes at 17:00, but voters already present may still vote. After their identity is checked, voters receive a ballot, clearly mark their list in the booth with an X, cross, V or another clear mark, fold the ballot and place it in the ballot box. The election officials then mark the voter’s finger with ink. A blank ballot counts as blank; multiple marks, an unclear mark, voting for a withdrawn list, or additional cuts, drawings or text may invalidate the ballot. Persons with disabilities may use a companion of their choice, while the secrecy of the vote must be maintained. Illiterate voters may use their inked fingerprint. Early voting is legally available, among others, to members of the military, security and emergency services, election officials, hospital staff, and people working offshore, in transport or abroad. The application must be submitted no later than 30 days before the election; voting takes place 15 to 10 days before the election at the Municipal Electoral Commission (Comissão Municipal Eleitoral). This option is unavailable to voters who are abroad. For 2022, the CNE decided not to hold early voting because there was not enough preparation time; the specific rules for 2027 were still open. The campaign begins 30 days before election day and ends at midnight on the day before. Parties, candidates and citizens may participate inside and outside the country under equal conditions. Media outlets should report carefully, professionally and impartially, with an opportunity for a response. Defamation and calls for insurrection, hatred, violence or war are prohibited; material or financial gifts intended to influence votes are also prohibited. Loudspeaker campaigning is allowed between 7:00 a.m. and midnight, while campaigning is prohibited within 250 metres of a polling station on election day. Armed persons may not remain within 100 metres. Police generally intervene there only when requested; disruptive, armed or obviously intoxicated persons may be removed from within a 500-metre radius. National and international election observers may observe from accreditation through publication of the final results. List delegates (Delegados de lista) represent each competing list at a polling station. They monitor voting and counting, submit written complaints and receive copies of the official records. After voting ends, the polling station opens the ballot box, compares the number of ballots with the number of voters, and sorts the ballots by list, blank and invalid. The president reads the votes aloud; the members and delegates present sign the official record (acta). The materials are sealed and delivered to the Provincial Electoral Commission (Comissão Provincial Eleitoral), while central counting centers consolidate provincial results and records. The CNE publishes provisional results for each constituency on an ongoing basis and final national results no later than 15 days after voting ends. An irregularity must first be challenged at the polling place and appealed through the CNE; the Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional) is the final authority on the regularity and validity of the election. At the last completed election, on 24 August 2022, 14,399,391 people were registered and 6.454.109 cast a vote. Turnout was 44.82 percent; 6.272.104 votes were valid, 107.746 were blank and 74.259 were invalid. The MPLA received 51.17 percent and 124 seats, while UNITA received 43.95 percent and 90 seats; PRS, FNLA and PHA each received two seats. The 2022 election was also the first election with voting from abroad: more than 22,000 Angolans voted in twelve countries and 25 cities. For 2027, the CNE is emphasizing the high level of non-participation in 2022. Local elections are governed by a separate law and are not part of these general elections.