Body of Angolan ex-president to arrive in Luanda on Saturday, government says.
Dos Santos, who stepped down five years ago, died on July 8 at the age of 79 at a clinic in Barcelona, where he was being treated following a prolonged illness.The Carmen Varela and Molins law firms representing dos Santos's daughter, Tchize dos Santos, had successfully requested a full autopsy citing alleged "suspicious circumstances" of his death, without providing evidence, and had asked for him to be buried in Barcelona.
The ruling MPLA was dos Santos' party and is that of President Joao Lourenço, and some critics said the party could use the repatriation of the body to divert people’s attention from the campaign by the main opposition party UNITA and from the electoral process itself. Critics have voiced concern that the election may be tainted. The Angolan government did not reply to a request about election transparency and fraud. The electoral commission, which is mostly controlled by the MPLA, said the election will be fair and transparent.Sónia, 41, an MPLA supporter at a big rally in the outskirts of Luanda on Saturday said, : “For us him coming back to Angola before the election shows the importance he had to create peace in our country.
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