Angolan Democratic Forum
Encyclopedia
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. The party was formed by UNITA
UNITA
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought with the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in the Angolan War for Independence and then against the MPLA in the ensuing civil war .The war was one...
dissidents in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The chairman of FDA was Jorge Rebelo Pinto Chikoti. The FDA aligned with the Democratic Reflexion Tendency (TRD), which was then not constituted as a formal party. Leaders of TRD included Pablo Tchipilica, Miguel Nzau Puna (former general secretary of UNITA) and Tony da Costa Fernandes.
FDA participated in the 1992 parliamentary election
Elections in Angola
According to the constitution of 1991, Angola elected on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president was elected by the people for a five-year term , by absolute majority - and if no candidate reached absolute majority, there had to be a second turn, with...
. Many TDR members were on its lists. The party obtained 12 038 votes (0.3%) and one seat in the National Assembly (Miguel Nzau Puna). When Puna was nominated embassador of Angola in Canada in 1997, his parliament seat was taken over by António Dias da Silva. In 2006, Dias da Silva was expelled from the parliament.
FDA has ceased to function, but TRD continues to exist.