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People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola
Abbreviation	MPLA
Chairman	João Lourenço
Secretary-General	Paulo Pombolo
Founders	Agostinho Neto Viriato da Cruz
Founded	10 December 1956; 68 years ago (1956-12-10)
Merger of	PLUAA PCA
Headquarters	Luanda, Luanda Province
Newspaper	Jornal de Angola
Youth wing	Youth of MPLA
Women's wing	Organization of Angolan Women
Paramilitary wing	People's Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola (1956–1993)
Membership (2022)	3,000,000
Ideology	Angolan nationalism Social democracy Democratic socialism 1976–1990: Communism Marxism-Leninism Left-wing nationalism
Political position	Centre-left to left-wing 1976–1990: Left-wing to far-left
International affiliation	Socialist International (since 2006)
African affiliation	FLMSA CONCP
Colours	Red
Slogan	• "Peace, Work and Liberty"  • "MPLA e os Novos Desafios"
National Assembly	124 / 220
SADC PF	0 / 5
Pan-African Parliament	0 / 5
Election symbol
Party flag
Website
mpla.ao
Politics of Angola Political parties Elections

The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Portuguese: Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola, abbr. MPLA), from 1977–1990 called the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola – Labour Party (Portuguese: Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola – Partido do Trabalho), is an Angolan social democratic political party. The MPLA fought against the Portuguese Army in the Angolan War of Independence from 1961 to 1974, and defeated the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) in the Angolan Civil War. The party has ruled Angola since the country's independence from Portugal in 1975, being the de facto government throughout the civil war and continuing to rule afterwards.

Formation

On 10 December 1956, in Estado Novo-ruled Portuguese Angola, the underground Angolan Communist Party (PCA) merged with the Party of the United Struggle for Africans in Angola (PLUAA) to form the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola, with Viriato da Cruz, the president of the PCA, as secretary general. Other groups later merged into MPLA, such as the Movement for the National Independence of Angola (MINA) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Angola (FDLA).

The MPLA's core base includes the Ambundu ethnic group and the educated intelligentsia of the capital city, Luanda. The party formerly had links to European and Soviet communist parties, but today is a full-member of the Socialist International grouping of social democratic parties. The armed wing of MPLA was the People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA). The FAPLA later (1975–1991) became the national armed forces of the country when the MPLA took control of the government.

In 1961, the MPLA joined the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), its fraternal party in Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde, in direct combat against the Portuguese empire in Africa. The following year, the expanded umbrella group Conference of Nationalist Organizations of the Portuguese Colonies (CONCP) replaced FRAIN, adding FRELIMO of Mozambique and the CLSTP, forerunner of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (MLSTP).

In the early 1970s, the MPLA's guerrilla activities were reduced, due to the fierce counter-insurgency campaigns of the Portuguese military. At the same time, internal conflicts caused the movement to temporarily split into three factions (Ala Presidencialista or Presidentialist Wing, Revolta Activa or Active Revolt, and Revolta do Leste or Eastern Revolt). By 1974/75, this situation had been overcome with renewed cooperation, but it scarred the party.

Independence and civil war

The Carnation Revolution in Lisbon, Portugal in 1974 established a military government. It promptly ceased anti-independence fighting in Angola and agreed to transfer power to a coalition of three pro-independence Angolan movements.

The coalition quickly broke down and the newly independent Angola broke into a state of civil war. Maintaining control over Luanda and the lucrative oil fields of the Atlantic coastline, Agostinho Neto, the leader of the MPLA, declared the independence of the Portuguese Overseas Province of Angola as the People's Republic of Angola on 11 November 1975, in accordance with the Alvor Accords.

UNITA and FNLA together declared Angolan independence in Huambo. These differences reignited civil war between UNITA & FNLA and the MPLA, with the latter winning the upper hand. Agostinho Neto became the first president upon independence. He was succeeded after his death in 1979 by José Eduardo dos Santos.

In 1974–1976, South Africa and Zaire intervened militarily in favor of FNLA and UNITA. The United States strongly aided the two groups. Cuba in turn intervened in 1975 to aid the MPLA against South African intervention, and the Soviet Union aided both Cuba and the MPLA government during the war.

In November 1980, the MPLA had all but pushed UNITA into the bush, and the South African forces withdrew. The United States Congress barred further U.S. military involvement in the country, against the wishes of President Ronald Reagan, as the representatives feared getting into a situation similar to the Vietnam War. In 1976 the FNLA withdrew its troops to their bases in Zaire. Part of them joined the 32 Battalion, formed by South Africa in order to receive anti-MPLA Angolans.

At its first congress in 1977, the MPLA adopted Marxism–Leninism as the party ideology. It added Partido do Trabalho (Labour Party) to its name.

After Nito Alves's attempted coup in 1977, Neto ordered the killing of suspected followers and sympathisers of "orthodox communism" inside and outside the party. During the coup, Cuban forces stationed in Angola sided with the MPLA leadership against the coup organizers. Estimates for the number of Alves' followers killed by Cuban and MPLA troops in the aftermath range from 2,000 — 70,000 dead, with some placing the death toll at 18,000.

After the violent internal conflict called Fractionism, the MPLA declared that it would follow the socialist, not the communist, model. But it did maintain close ties with the Soviet Union and the Communist bloc, establishing socialist economic policies and a one-party state. Several thousand Cuban troops remained in the country to combat UNITA fighters and bolster the regime's security.

When the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union fell, the MPLA abandoned its Marxist–Leninist ideology. On its third congress in December 1990, it declared social democracy to be its official ideology.

The MPLA emerged victorious in Angola's 1992 general election, but eight opposition parties rejected the election as rigged. UNITA sent negotiators to Luanda, where they were killed. As a consequence, hostilities erupted in the city, and immediately spread to other parts of the country. Tens of thousands of UNITA and FNLA sympathizers were subsequently killed nationwide by MPLA forces, in what is known as the Halloween Massacre. The civil war resumed.

The war continued until 2002, when UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi was killed. The two parties agreed to a ceasefire, and a plan was laid out for UNITA to demobilize and become a political party. More than 500,000 civilians were killed during the civil war. Human rights observers have accused the MPLA of "genocidal atrocities," "systematic extermination," "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity during the civil war." Political scientist Rudolph Rummel estimated that the MPLA were responsible for between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths in democide from 1975 to 1987.

Human rights record

The MPLA government of Angola has been accused of human rights violations such as arbitrary arrest and detention and torture by international organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The MPLA government hired Samuels International Associates Inc in 2008 to help improve Angola's global image and "'facilitate' its meetings with senior U.S. officials".

Party organizations

At present, major mass organizations of the MPLA-PT include the Angolan Women's Organization (Organização da Mulher Angolana or O.M.A.), National Union of Angolan Workers (União Nacional dos Trabalhadores Angolanos or U.N.T.A.), Agostinho Neto Pioneer Organization (Organização de Pioneiros de Agostinho Neto or O.P.A.), and the Youth of MPLA (Juventude do MPLA or J.M.P.L.A.).

Foreign support

During both the Portuguese Colonial War and the Angolan Civil War, the MPLA received military and humanitarian support primarily from the governments of Algeria, Brazil, the Bulgarian People's Republic, East Germany, Cape Verde, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the Congo, Cuba, Guinea-Bissau, Mexico, Morocco, the Mozambican People's Republic, Nigeria, North Korea, the Polish People's Republic, China, the Romanian Socialist Republic, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, the Soviet Union, Sudan, Tanzania, Libya and SFR Yugoslavia. While China did briefly support the MPLA, it also actively supported the MPLA's enemies, the FNLA and later UNITA, during the war for independence and the civil war. The switch was the result of tensions between China and the Soviet Union for dominance of the communist bloc, which almost led to war.

Electoral history

In the 1992 election, MPLA-PT won 53.74% of the votes and 129 out of 227 seats in parliament; however, eight opposition parties rejected the 1992 elections as rigged. In the next election, delayed until 2008 due to the civil war, the MPLA won 81.64% of the vote and 191 out of 220 parliamentary seats. In the 2012 legislative election, the party won 71.84% of the vote and 175 of 220 parliamentary seats.

In the 2022 general election, MPLA won 124 parliamentary seats and about 51% of the vote. The largest opposition party, UNITA, secured 44% of the vote and 90 parliamentary seats. The tight race was the MPLA's worst showing at the polls in 30 years. However, nearly all opposition parties considered the result to be a fake.

Presidential elections

Election	Party candidate	Votes	%	Result
1992	José Eduardo dos Santos	1,953,335	49.57%	Elected Y
2012		4,135,503	71.85%	Elected Y
2017	João Lourenço	4,907,057	61.08%	Elected Y
2022		3,209,429	51.17%	Elected Y

National Assembly elections

Election	Party leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Result
1980	José Eduardo dos Santos	Indirect election		229 / 229	New	1st	Sole legal party
1986		Indirect election		173 / 290	56	1st	Sole legal party
1992		2,124,126	53.74%	129 / 220	44	1st	Majority government
2008		5,266,216	81.64%	191 / 220	62	1st	Supermajority government
2012		4,135,503	71.85%	175 / 220	16	1st	Supermajority government
2017	João Lourenço	4,907,057	61.08%	150 / 220	25	1st	Supermajority government
2022		3,209,429	51.17%	124 / 220	26	1st	Majority government

In popular culture

• In 1976, reggae singer Tapper Zukie dedicated the song and album titled "M.P.L.A" to the movement.
• Pablo Moses dedicated the song "We Should be in Angola" (which appeared on his album Revolutionary Dream) to the MPLA.
• The Sex Pistols singer John Lydon referred to the MPLA in the lyrics of "Anarchy in the U.K.".
• The reggae band The Revolutionaries devoted an extended dub mix record to the movement entitled "MPLA", recorded at Channel One, engineered by King Tubby and released on the "Well Charge" label. The bass line and rhythm was based on "Freedom Blues" by Little Richard. The Revolutionaries also released an extended discomix entitled "Angola". Both tracks were later released on the Revolutionary Sounds album featuring Sly and Robbie.
• The video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 features a level in which the player fought alongside the UNITA and Jonas Savimbi against the MPLA.
• The video game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain sets Missions 13-29 within the environs of the Angola-Zaire border region. Several references to the MPLA, CFA, and UNITA are made--with the in-universe mercenary group Diamond Dogs (led by player character Venom Snake) clashing with or aiding them in different missions.

See also

• African independence movements
• Cuban intervention in Angola
• History of Angola
• List of current Angolan ministers (all MPLA members)
• Mário Pinto de Andrade
• Luzia Inglês Van-Dúnem

References

1. "MPLA: João Lourenço diz que teve a coragem de lutar contra a corrupção". Observador (in Portuguese). 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022.
2. ^ Andresen Guimarães, Fernando (2001). The Origins of the Angolan Civil War: Foreign Intervention and Domestic Political Conflict, 1961–76. Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1007/978-0-230-59826-3 (inactive 2 November 2024).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
3. Péclard, Didier (31 August 2021). "Nationalism, Liberation, and Decolonization in Angola". Oxford Academic – African History. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.640. ISBN 978-0-19-027773-4.
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12. Ball, Jeremy (20 November 2017). "The History of Angola". Oxford Academic – African History. Oxford University Press: 20. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.180. ISBN 978-0-19-027773-4. The MPLA adopted Marxism in 1976, which strengthened its ties to Cuba and the Soviet Union.
15. Drew, Allison, ed. (1 May 2013). "16". The Oxford Handbook of the History of Communism. Oxford Academic. pp. 285–302. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199602056.013.003.
17. Vanaik, Achin (13 December 2021). "Humanitarian Intervention Is a Cloak for Military Aggression". Jacobin. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022.
19. Lamb, Peter; Docherty, James C. (2006). Historical Dictionary of Socialism (Second ed.). The Scarecrow Press. p. 270. ISBN 978-0-8108-5560-1. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
20. "Comité central do MPLA alargado para 497 membros" [MPLA central committee enlarged to 497 members]. Jornal de Angola (in Portuguese). 15 June 2019. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. O conclave, o primeiro convocado pelo presidente do partido e chefe de Estado, João Lourenço, decorreu sob o lema "MPLA e os Novos Desafios" [The conclave, the first called by the party's president and head of state, João Lourenço, took place under the slogan "MPLA and the New Challenges".]
21. Africa Year Book and Who's who. 1977. p. 238.
22. Tvedten, Inge (1997). Angola: Struggle for Peace and Reconstruction. pp. 29.
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55. "Pablo Moses – Revolutionary Dream". Discogs. 1975. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
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Further reading

• David Birmingham, A Short History of Modern Angola, Hurst 2015.
• Inge Brinkmann, War, Witches and Traitors: Cases from the MPLA's Eastern Front in Angola (1966–1975), Journal of African History, 44, 2003, pp. 303–325
• Mario Albano, Angola: una rivoluzione in marcia, Jaca Book, Milano, 1972
• Lúcio Lara, Um amplo movimento: Itinerário do MPLA através de documentos e anotações, vol. I, Até Fevereiro de 1961, 2ª ed., Luanda: Lúcio & Ruth Lara, 1998, vol. II, 1961–1962, Luanda: Lúcio Lara, 2006, vol. III, 1963–1964, Luanda: Lúcio Lara, 2008

External links

• Official website (in Portuguese)
• MPLA campaign site

v t e People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola
Central Committee	Presidents Ilídio Tomé Alves Machado (1956–1959) Mário Pinto de Andrade (1960–1962) Agostinho Neto (1962–1979) José Eduardo dos Santos (1979–2018) João Lourenço (2018–present) Vice Presidents ? (1956–2019) Luísa Damião (2019–present) General Secretaries Viriato da Cruz (1956–1962) ? (?–2019) Paulo Pombolo (2019–present) Decision-making bodies Politburo Secretariat
Congress	Founding (1956) 1st (1977) 2nd (1985) 3rd (1991) 4th (1998) 5th (2003) 6th (2009) 7th (Ord. 2016 Ext. 2019) 8th (2021)
Leadership sittings	Secretariat Founding (1956) 1st (1977) 2nd (1985) 3rd (1991) 4th (1998) 5th (2003) 6th (2009) 7th (2016) 8th (2021) Politburo Founding (1956) 1st (1977) 2nd (1985) 3rd (1991) 4th (1998) 5th (2003) 6th (2009) 7th (2016) 8th (2021) Central Committee Founding (1956) 1st (1977) 2nd (1985) 3rd (1991) 4th (1998) 5th (2003) 6th (2009) 7th (2016) 8th (2021)
Wider organization	Organization of Angolan Women Agostinho Neto Pioneer Organization Youth of MPLA
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