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liament. The remaining 29 parliamentary seats were
won by the National Union for the Total Independ-
ence of Angola (UNITA) (16), the Social Renewal
Party (PRS) (8), National Front for the Liberation of
Angola (FNLA) (3), and the New Democracy (ND)
coalition (2).
Source: CNE
Benguela City Hall, Discover Angola portuguese heritage
Angola enacted a new constitution on February 5,
2010. Three days later, President dos Santos swore in
a new government. The new constitution allows for the
direct election of the president, introduces the new of-
fice of the vice president, and eliminates the position of
prime minister. After signing the new constitution, Presi-
dent dos Santos declared that national elections would
take place in 2012. The MPLA are favorites to win.
Municipal elections may take place after the next na-
tional poll. The central government administers the
country through 18 provinces. Governors of the prov-
inces are appointed by the president. The government
has embarked on a program of decentralization, and in
August 2007 the Council of Ministers passed a reso-
lution to grant some municipalities control of their own
budgets; this measure was extended to all municipali-
ties in 2008.
The judicial system is based on Portuguese and cus-
tomary law. The legal system is weak and fragmented,
it currently operates in a fraction on the 164 municipali-
ties.
The judicial system includes municipal and provincial
courts, a Constitutional Court and a Supreme Court
empowered to name the provincial court judges. In
theory, the Ministry of Justice administers provincial
courts in each of the 18 provinces. The judge of the
provincial court acts as a jury. In 1991, the constitution
was amended to guarantee an independent judiciary. In
practice, the 16 Supreme Court judges and the general
attorney are appointed by the President under recom-
mendation of magistrates, confirmation by the general
Assembly is not required.