Luanda – The decision is included in Order 9/18 of the Commander-in-Chief of the Angolan Armed Forces, and President of the Republic, to which Lusa had access on Friday.
For 38 years, José Eduardo dos Santos, now 75 years old, was President of the Republic, and commander of the Angolan Armed Forces, but in the general elections of 2017 he no longer ran for the office and was succeeded by João Lourenço, also of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA).
However, dos Santos remains as the MPLA leader, with João Lourenço as vice president, and has said he may only step down from his position in the party in 2019.
In another order, 12/18 of 19 April, the announced promotion of António Agostinho Neto, the first Angolan President, who died in 1979, was posthumously promoted to Army General.
António Agostinho Neto, born in Bengo (Angola) on 17 September, 1922, graduated in medicine from the universities of Lisbon and Coimbra and led the MPLA guerrillas against Portuguese colonialism.
He proclaimed Angolan independence in Luanda, on 11 November, 1975, and died in Moscow on 10 September, 1979. He was replaced by José Eduardo dos Santos, who remained in office until 2017.
