At its first meeting the new Central Committee elected João Lourenço as vice-president...
A growing consensus however among senior party leaders now holds that Dos Santos will not stand as the party candidate next year leaving João Lourenço to take that spot with a family member probably Zenu or Isábel as vice presidential candidate...
Defence Minister João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço looks to be the strongest candidate to replace Vicente whom the party has often criticised (AC Vol 52 No 22 The succession players)...
João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço appointed Defence Minister in April to be next in line for the succession...
Within the MPLA the names to look out for joining the Vicente team include António Pitra Neto João Lourenço and António Paulo Kassoma...
That was the experience of former MPLA Secretary General João Lourenço now Vice-President of the National Assembly and former MPLA Vice-President António Pitra Neto now Minister of Labour and a businessman...
Names floated include Pitra Neto João Lourenço Kassoma or Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos ‘Nando' the former Vice-President and current President of the National Assembly who has a footprint in the army police and intelligence services...
• João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço: the dour National Assembly Deputy Presidentand MPLA ex-Secretary General has the requisite party seniority and a military background...
Angola’s state media reported that at the ANC’s conference in Polokwane Zuma met João Lourenço and Paulo Jorge of the MPLA and Ambassador Miguel Neto...
There is a danger in peaking too early and they will be guided by the experience of former party Secretary General João Lourenço who stuck his head above the parapet too soon and was taken out...
The last pretender former MPLA Secretary General João Lourenço was swiftly sidelined by Dos Santos...
In August 2003 João Lourenço rashly suggested that he had presidential ambitions...