Angola gets new president after 38 years, but its outgoing leader and his family still cling to power

       Former Angolan leader Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, center right, greets incoming President Joao Lourenco, center left, during his inauguration ceremony in Luanda, Angola. (Mavinga / European Pressphoto Agency) Robyn DixonContact Reporter

After 38 years as president of Angola, Jose Eduardo dos Santos left the nation’s highest office Tuesday, but not without making sure he and his family continue to maintain control.

Following an election last month, former Defense Minister Joao Lourenco was sworn in to office, but only after Dos Santos passed decrees shoring up his power and leaving doubts about how much room the new president will have to maneuver.

There was the special constitutional title Dos Santos created for himself: “President of the Republic Emeritus Honorary,” which gives him and close family members immunity from prosecution.

There was the decree he signed freezing appointments of military, security and intelligence chiefs until 2025, ensuring his close circle of securocrat allies retains control. He also promoted 165 senior police commanders.

Not least was the fact that he remains head of the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, or MPLA, retaining the power to control the direction of the government.

Lourenco has said Dos Santos will not wield power behind the scenes.

Under Dos Santos, 75, oil-rich Angola has become known as a kleptocracy where for decades he used his sweeping power to enrich his family and members of a tiny elite, while the country remains one of the least developed in the world.

Billions of dollars in oil revenue have gone missing without explanation, according to Human Rights Watch.