The United Patriotic Front: Political attrition or strategic failure by 2027?

Abstract

The next five years will be difÏcult ones for the Angolan opposition. The coalition, the United Patriotic Front, led by UNITA, will have to devise a strategy to survive until the next elections in 2027. Among the different options available to them two strategies stand out. They can continue the route of appeased criticism within parliamentary debates, some political rallies, and public statements about the injustices faced and the illegalities committed by the ruling party. Alternatively, they can begin a political battle of attrition that will expose, exhaust and wear down the regime that has become increasingly authoritarian and corrupt. This article will explore the second option as the only one to guarantee a level of success for the opposition.