Isaías Samakuva

Isaías Henrique Gola Samakuva (born 1946 in Kunji, Bié Province) is the President of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). He joined the party in 1974 and was elected as its President in 2003 after the death of previous leader Jonas Savimbi. He spent a good deal of time (1989-1994 and 1998-2002) in Europe as an official UNITA ambassador.

Samakuva was the first candidate on UNITA's national list in the September 2008 parliamentary election. Samakuva was elected to a seat in the National Assembly in this election, but UNITA performed poorly, winning only 16 out of 220 seats. [ [http://www.cne.ao/listadep.html List of deputies elected in the 2008 election] , CNE website pt icon.] Despite the party's objections to problems in the electoral process, Samakuva announced on September 8, 2008 that UNITA accepted the election results. [ [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20080909093837927C731323 "Angolan opposition party accepts defeat"] , Sapa-Associated Press ("IOL"), September 9, 2008.] The UNITA Permanent Committee subsequently met to consider the outcome of the election and Samakuva's leadership, and on September 19, 2008, it said in a statement that it "reaffirm [ed] its confidence" in Samakuva, blaming the party's poor showing primarily on abuses by the governing Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). [ [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jIRMTCn2ElwBxRg1LgK73njibP1g "Angolan opposition retains leader despite poll rout"] , AFP, September 20, 2008.]

References