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José Eduardo dos Santos

José Eduardo dos Santos
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Became President:September 10, 1979
Predecessor:Agostinho Neto
Date of Birth:August 28, 1942
Place of Birth:Luanda

José Eduardo dos Santos is the president of Angola. He became president in 1979, succeeding the founding president Agostinho Neto. He was seen as rather a strongman, but received a large share of the vote a multi-party election in 1992. He did not quite receive a majority; but the UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi withdrew from the race, leaving him technically interim president.

He announced in 2001 that he will step down at the next presidential election, assuming that peace can be arrived at.