During campaigning, the opposition UNITA and its offshoot CASA-CE accused and criticised the government of corruption and called for greater transparency; this led to protests and arrests the day before the election.

The MPLA's resultant majority allowed it to adopt a new 2010 constitution, which abolished the direct election of the president.

The constitution stipulated that parliamentary elections would be held at intervals of five years and that the leader of the party that received the most votes would become president.

Each participating party nominated a presidential candidate as top of its list, clearly identified on the ballot paper.

Under the Angolan constitution, this resulted in dos Santos receiving another term as president, with Vicente becoming vice-president.

[10] National police commander General Ambrósio de Lemos said he was ready to ensure that electoral laws were enforced: "We will not tolerate nor allow these elections to be derailed.

He also sought to meet Dos Santos to express the concerns and ask for monitoring accreditation for 2,000 of its party workers.

[10] After Dos Santos, who voted at a school near his official residence, said: "I am satisfied because the process is going smoothly throughout the country.

[14] The African Union claimed that the elections had been "free, fair, transparent and credible", but noted that opposition parties had not been given equal access to the media.

[18] A day later, on 27 September 2012, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos was elected as President of the National Assembly.