Angola

President João Lourenço was elected for a second term in August 2022. The ruling People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) extended its five-decade long rule but lost its two-thirds majority in parliament. Voting was largely peaceful but was marred with severe restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, and limited access to information due to government repression and censorship in state media and in private media outlets controlled by ruling party officials. Angolan state security forces continued to be implicated in serious human rights abuses. Widespread gender inequalities, especially at the highest levels of political power, persisted in Angola. However, the country registered significant progress in the number of women holding ministerial portfolios and positions of relevance.