Angolan activists appealed this Monday for the recount of votes and the non-validation of the results of the August 24 elections by the Constitutional Court, announcing “uninterrupted” demonstrations if their demands are not met.
Activists from the associations that make up the Movement for Electoral Truth (Mover) pointed out several irregularities in the preparation process for the Angolan general elections and in the vote and urged the deputies not to take office, so as not to be declared “traitors to the collective will.”
In a manifesto presented this Monday in Luanda, they urge the National Electoral Commission (CNE) and the Constitutional Court (TC), in the form of the Electoral Court, “so that they accept the collective will to count the votes and collate the summary records held by all public and party entities” and they ask the plenary session of the TC not to validate the electoral results without first responding to this request.
If they do so, they agree to “assume all possible risks that may arise from this inconsequential decision,” says the document, which adds that the deputies resulting from these elections must not accept to take office “under penalty of having to be declared traitors.” to the collective will”, bearing all the consequences that “will come from this betrayal of the Homeland”, just like the TC and the CNE commissioners.
The manifesto also calls for the ambassador of the United States of America to be appointed to “to ensure the veracity of the electoral results” and says that a wave of demonstrations will be called if these claims are not addressed within 72 hours, appealing to the presence of the security forces just to ensure the route.
Speaking to journalists, Joaquim Manuel says that this is a strong position”. We cannot admit that the MPLA [partido do poder] continue governing the country as you see fit,” he said.
As for the deputies, he stressed that if the results are fraudulent, taking office means legitimizing the fraud.
If the CNE insists on presenting these results, there are people who have told us that they will not take office,” said the activist.
Branco Ngola, another of the activists present, stressed that these people “are in favor of the resistance.”
“We are tired of various electoral elections, we have to take positions, but they are not extreme. Our demonstrations are peaceful, we are not a group of radicals and we will fight within legal frameworks,” he said, stressing that the movement “does not defend parties,” adding that what is expected is that the winner “wins on merit.” .
Joaquim Manuel stressed that this is a situation that requires “maximum maturity” and political ethics from the political elite.
“We cannot claim electoral results when they are later made available to take possession of parliament and defraud the people,” he considered.
Asked if the demonstrations could not represent a risk in view of the high combat readiness of the Angolan armed forces, Joaquim Manuel defended that “the demonstration does not represent any threat”since the people only want the expression of the vote cast at the polls to be valid”.
“Citizen instability and insecurity is being played institutionally, it is the public institutions that are being instrumentalized by those in power to endanger public security. We are not accompanied by any military object that endangers security, ”she stressed.
Branco Ngola added that “there are various forms of demonstrations” and that activists develop all means to express their discontent.
“The fighting movement must be peaceful, we will use all the mechanisms to restore legality, but they are peaceful means, we only fight for the electoral truth, we do not believe that we are going to cause any danger. (Therefore,) we do not understand why the security forces are going to stay in the streets, on our side there is no intention to endanger the Republic”, he stressed.
Pembele Pacavira, also a social activist, questioned why the security forces are in the streets if the country is not in a state of emergency: “I think it’s just a way for the government to intimidate anyone who wants to express their discontent.” advanced.
The manifesto, signed by 43 civic associations and other civil society groups, points to irregularities in the electoral preparation process, including the presence of deceased persons on the electoral roll, unequal treatment of parties by the public press, and electoral corruption carried out by parties that offered different goods for influence voters.
It also mentions that the elections “were not transparent, nor fair”, pointing out aspects such as the non-display of lists and voters, the non-publication of summary records in many polling stations (for example, in the Lisbon consulate) and on the part of the CNE and abusive use of force with illegal detention and torture of several citizens in several provinces, situations that continue to be recorded.
According to the final act of counting the general elections of August 24, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and its candidate, João Lourenço, won with 51.17% of the votes, followed by the Total Union by the Independence of Angola (UNITA), with 43.95%.
With these results, the MPLA elected 124 deputies and UNITA 90 deputies, almost twice as many as in the 2017 elections.
The Social Renewal Party (PRS) won two seats in parliament by adding 1.14% of the votes of the voters, the same number of deputies that the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) and the Humanist Party of Angola won. Angola (PHA) with 1.06% and 1.02 votes respectively.
The CASA-CE coalition, the APN and the P-Njango did not obtain seats in the National Assembly, which in the 2022-2027 legislature will have 220 deputies.
Source: Observadora
