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Angola’s Jose Eduardo Dos Santos set to step down after 38 years in power
Santos's deteriorating health condition is the main reason he is considering relinquishing the position not total political power.
Angola's President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, 74, has been the oil-rich country's president since September 1979, making him Africa's third-longest serving leader
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The Angolan strong man is the third longest serving president in Africa, only surpassed by President Paul Biya of Cameroun and Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea.
During his 38 year rule, Santos has steered the country through a protracted civil war and expanded Angola's oil and gas sector to be the second largest producer of crude oil in Africa.
There have been several accusations of human rights abuse,corruption and nepotism during the reign of dos Santos with his daughter Isabel dos Santos a frequent name on recent Forbes rich list .Angola has been ranked among the 20 most corrupt countries in the world for the past three years by Transparency International.
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Though Santos would be stepping down from office, he has been empowered by a new law to take charge of the country's security and intelligence.
Gary van Staden, an Analyst at NKC African Economics in Paarl told Bloomberg that: “Dos Santos has no intention of giving up power.”
“He intends to keep the levers that serve his interests firmly in place. He is making sure all his security buddies stay in their posts and he will be protected,” Gary told Bloomberg.
Dos Santos main hindrance to his continuation in power is his health which has worsened in recent years with him flying to Spain several times to receive treatment.
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