DJ Elections in Angola: UNITA President Adalberto Costa Júnior does not recognize election results / 'I feel robbed of our victory' / Election observers see irregularities in the count
DGAP-Media / 2022-08-30 / 16:12 CET/CEST
Elections in Angola: UNITA President Adalberto Costa Júnior does not recognize election results /
"I feel robbed of our victory" / Election observers see irregularities in the count
Luanda - After counting the votes, Angola's strongest opposition party, "The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA)," has lost the election against the MPLA, which has been in power for 47 years. Adalberto Costa Júnior, President of UNITA, declared that his party would not recognize the preliminary results published by the National Electoral Commission (CNE). At the same time, he urged his constituents and the citizens of Angola to remain calm despite their dissatisfaction with the election results.
Months before the election campaign, there were already indications that the campaign and the election in Angola would not be clean. UNITA President Adalberto Costa Júnior justified the contestation of the election based on irregularities that occurred in at least three provincial constituencies, including the capital Luanda, Moxico in the east, and Kwanza-Sul in the south-central part of the country. Adalberto Costa Júnior: "I feel unfairly treated and deprived of our victory, especially in terms of the number of mandates allocated to us by the electoral commission."
Nevertheless, Adalberto Costa Júnior called on his enraged supporters to remain calm and composed and to have confidence in his party's leadership. He assured that the long-awaited change of political power would take place.
According to Angola's electoral law, an election challenge must include "evidence including photocopies of the minutes of the respective polling stations that were contested" (Articles 153 and 154).
The election observers, whose reports were presented in Luanda yesterday afternoon, acknowledged and praised the "orderly and peaceful" conduct of the election. But they also acknowledged weaknesses of various kinds and made suggestions to ensure that such failures are not repeated in future elections.
In his first public statement after polling day, the charismatic political leader called on the CNE electoral commission to submit the available summary reports on the election. This would allow the results to be compared with those of other political parties and verify the fairness of the elections. UNITA President Adalberto Costa Júnior was the hope of Angola's young voters who wanted to see the ruling MPLA politicians voted out of office after 47 years. The polls saw him ahead, but the national electoral commission CNE recognised an absolute majority for the ruling party after election day on 24 August 2022. Adalberto Costa Júnior called on his enraged supporters to remain calm and assured them that the time would come for a change of power in Angola. Adalberto Costa Júnior declared that UNITA would not recognize the election result.
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Issuer: Meister Mandeltree Kommunikation GmbH Key word(s): Politics
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 30, 2022 10:12 ET (14:12 GMT)
