For the first time, the ruling MPLA will fight elections against an opposition coalition led by three credible contenders, Bringing together the biggest opposition parties, a new coalition will contest national elections in August on a combined ticket presenting the most serious threat to the 47-year rule of the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA) since Independence. The coalition is challenging the President and MPLA leader João Lourenço amid growing discontent with falling living standards over the last five years as ministers restructure the country's oil and gas dependent economy.