Angola
Angola has been ruled by the same party since independence, and authorities have systematically repressed political dissent. Since President João Lourenço’s election in 2017, the government has taken steps to crack down on endemic corruption and eased restrictions on the press and civil society, but serious governance and human rights challenges persist.
Research & Recommendations
Angola
| PR Political Rights | 10 40 |
| CL Civil Liberties | 18 60 |
Democratic resilience will increasingly depend on stronger coordination among countries that share a commitment to freedom, the rule of law, and accountable governance.
International support for democratic institutions, civil society, and independent media has been associated with modest but meaningful improvements in democratic governance, and it is far less costly than the military outlays necessitated by rising authoritarian aggression.
Young people are increasingly dissatisfied with democracy—not because they reject its principles, but because they see institutions failing to deliver on them. Programmatic work should create clear pathways for meaningful political participation, from voting and policy engagement to community organizing and public leadership, so that young people can translate their expectations into agency.
Angola
| A Obstacles to Access | 12 25 |
| B Limits on Content | 29 35 |
| C Violations of User Rights | 19 40 |
Political Overview
Angola has been ruled by the same party since independence, and authorities have systematically repressed political dissent. Corruption, due process violations, and abuses by security forces remain common. Some restrictions on the press and civil society were eased after President Lourenço took office in 2017, but that partial opening has since been reversed.
Freedom of expression online has been and is increasingly under attack as governments shut off internet connectivity, block social media platforms, and restrict access to websites that host political, social, and religious speech. Protecting freedom of expression will require strong legal and regulatory safeguards for digital communications.
Governments should encourage a whole-of-society approach to fostering a high-quality, diverse, and trustworthy information space. The Global Declaration on Information Integrity Online identifies best practices for safeguarding the information ecosystem, to which governments should adhere.
Comprehensive data-protection regulations and industry policies on data protection are essential for upholding privacy and combating disproportionate government surveillance, but they require careful crafting to ensure that they do not contribute to internet fragmentation—the siloing of the global internet into nation-based segments—and cannot be used by governments to undermine privacy and other fundamental freedoms.