Angola’s opposition wants Constitutional Court to call for fresh polls

Angola’s largest opposition is still contesting the election results. UNITA’s presidential candidate, Adalberto Costa Júnior, is now calling upon the constitutional court to nullify the election and call for a new vote.

The National Electoral Commission had on Monday confirmed win for the longest ruling party MPLA which attained 124 MPs while UNITA got 90 MPs.

“I speak with the expectation that the National Electoral Commission, as well as the Constitutional Court, will truly carry out their functions, in strict respect for the Constitution and the laws. That the National Electoral Commission should not shy away from confronting the results in its possession with the copies of the figures in the possession of the political parties. I reaffirm, that the MPLA did not win the elections of last August 24,” alleged Adalberto.

UNITA continues with the legal dispute, now in the Constitutional Court.

The Angolan Electoral Observatory on Thursday presented the preliminary report of their mission that integrated 61 non-governmental organizations and other religious groups.

They noted that the non-publication of the voters’ lists “compromised the transparency” of the vote.

“We are in a situation where the candidates are questioning and doubting the election results while the citizen already do not believe in the decisions of the electoral commission. The solution is the court. It is a matter of access to justice, but for the citizen, it is a matter of perception. The challenge is before the institutions like the CNE, the court and the political parties, to respond to this context,” said Luís Jimbo, a member of the Angolan Electoral Observatory.

National Electoral Commission has declined to comment regarding the election minutes because they were posted at polling stations.

The slightly more than 100 observers noted that the voting activities, particularly in urban areas, went without problems and that the atmosphere in those areas was calm.