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João Lourenço
João Lourenço 2023.jpg
Lourenço in 2023
3rd President of Angola
Assumed office
26 September 2017
Vice President Bornito de Sousa
Esperança da Costa
Preceded by José Eduardo dos Santos
Chairman of the MPLA
Assumed office
8 September 2018
Preceded by José Eduardo dos Santos
Minister of National Defence
In office
22 April 2014 – 24 July 2017
President José Eduardo dos Santos
Preceded by Cândido Pereira dos Santos Van-Dúnem
Succeeded by Salviano de Jesus Sequeira
Chairman of Southern African Development Community
In office
17 August 2023 – 17 August 2024
Preceded by Felix Tshisekedi
Succeeded by Emmerson Mnangagwa
Personal details
Born (1954-03-05) 5 March 1954 (age 71)
Lobito, Portuguese Angola
Political party MPLA (since 1974)
Spouse Ana Afonso Dias
Children 6
Alma mater
  • Industrial Institute of Luanda
  • Lenin Superior Academy
Nicknames Ti Mimoso, JLo
Military service
Allegiance  Angola
Branch/service Angolan Army
Years of service 1974–2017
Rank 17.AA-GE.svg Army general
Battles/wars

João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço (born on March 5, 1954) is an Angolan politician. He is the third president of Angola, serving since September 26, 2017. Before becoming president, he was the Minister of Defence from 2014 to 2017. In September 2018, he also became the leader of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which is the main political party in Angola.

João Lourenço was chosen in December 2016 to lead his party in the August 2017 election. The Angolan constitution says that the leader of the party that wins the most votes becomes president. Since the MPLA won many seats, Lourenço automatically became President of Angola. He took over from José Eduardo dos Santos, who had been president for 38 years. Lourenço officially became president on September 26, 2017.

Early Life and Family

João Lourenço was born in 1954. He grew up in a large family with ten children. His family was very interested in politics. His father, Sequeira João Lourenço, was a doctor and a nationalist. He was even put in prison for his political activities. His mother, Josefa Gonçalves Cipriano Lourenço, was a seamstress. João Lourenço went to school in Bié Province and Luanda, where he learned Portuguese.

Education and Military Career

Lourenço first studied at the Industrial Institute of Luanda. In August 1974, he joined the fight for Angola's freedom in Ponta Negra. He was among the first group of MPLA soldiers to enter Angola after the end of Portuguese rule.

He started his military journey by fighting against the Portuguese during the Angolan War of Independence. He also fought in the Angolan Civil War as a member of the MPLA. Lourenço trained in artillery and became a political officer. In 1978, he went to the Soviet Union to study at the Lenin Military-Political Academy. There, he continued his military training and earned a master's degree in Historical Sciences. He returned to Angola in 1982 as an artillery general. After his military career, Lourenço became more involved in politics. In 1984, he was made the Governor of Moxico Province.

Political Career

Vladimir Putin and João Lourenço, 26 july 2018 (1)
Lourenço with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in a bilateral meeting with the President of Angola, Mr. Joao Lourenco, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 26, 2018
Lourenço with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018
João Lourenço, the President of Angola meets with Shinzō Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan
Lourenço with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2019

João Lourenço's early political work was mainly within the MPLA party. He helped keep the spirits of the soldiers high. After becoming Governor of Moxico Province in 1984, he continued to move up in the ruling party. He also served as a leader for the MPLA in Moxico and Benguela provinces. From 1992 to 1997, he was the MPLA's Secretary for Information. He also led the MPLA group in the National Assembly from 1993 to 1998.

In December 1998, he was chosen as the Secretary-General of the MPLA. From 2003 to 2014, Lourenço was the First Vice-president of the National Assembly. In April 2014, he was appointed as the Minister of Defense. He became the vice-president of the MPLA in August 2016. In September 2018, he took over as the Chairman of the MPLA, replacing José Eduardo dos Santos.

In December 2016, the MPLA chose Lourenço as their main candidate for the 2017 election. He was elected president of Angola on August 23, 2017. He officially started his job on September 26, becoming the third president in Angola's history. On September 8, 2018, he was elected president of the MPLA, the party that has ruled Angola since 1975.

In June 2018, President Lourenço made Angola's first LGBT collective legal.

Personal Life

João Lourenço is married to Ana Afonso Dias Lourenço. She is also a Member of Parliament for the MPLA. She used to be the Minister of Planning and worked at the World Bank. They have six children. All of their children are involved with the MPLA party. Besides his native Umbundu language and Portuguese, he can speak Russian, Spanish, and English. People sometimes call him "Ti Mimoso" or "JLo."

Honours and Awards

João Lourenço has received many awards from different countries:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: João Lourenço (político) para niños

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