Despite this, the MPLA initially struggled to build popular support.  Many Angolans were suspicious of the MPLA, which represented the old mestiço and assimilado elite of the coastal cities and had a history of dominating the largely rural populations of the interior.  Rival groups like the FNLA highlighted this distrust by publicly condemning the MPLA as out of touch with the peasants that made up 93% of the Angolan population. 