Angola is a constitutional republic in transition after its year civil war ended in Legislation provides for decentralization; however, the Government remained highly centralized and dominated by the Presidency. The National Assembly was weak; while opposition deputies held approximately 43 percent of National Assembly seats, few mechanisms exist to check the power of the MPLA majority or defeat legislation supported by the executive branch.
The judiciary was subject to executive influence, functioned poorly at the provincial and municipal levels and did not always ensure due process. The internal intelligence service is directly answerable to the Office of the Presidency. The civilian authorities maintained effective control of the security forces. Members of the security forces committed human rights abuses. The mixed economy, dominated by oil, grew by over 10 percent during the year; however, most of the country's wealth remained concentrated in a few hands.
Although commercial and agricultural activity in urban and rural areas increased since the end of the war, 70 percent of the population of approximately 13 million continued to live in poverty. Approximately 85 percent of the population residing outside of Luanda were employed in agriculture, mostly at a subsistence level.
Corruption, nontransparent contracting practices, and unfair enforcement of regulatory and tax regimes favored the wealthy and politically influential. Poor governance continued to limit the provision of basic services to most citizens.
Although conditions improved in many parts of the country, the U. The Government's human rights record remained poor; although there were improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained. The right of citizens to change their government remained restricted due to the postponement of elections. Members of the security forces committed unlawful killings, were responsible for disappearances, tortured, beat, raped, and otherwise abused persons.
