Angola’s deputy consul to Portugal, Carlos Santos, said on Wednesday that there were some technical problems during the electoral process in Lisbon, but he warned that they were not incriminating, while several people demonstrated against the MPLA.
“It is true that some problems have arisen from a technical point of view, but these are things that cannot be avoided. (…) The technique can fail at any moment, but the failures that have occurred do not jeopardize the process at all,” Carlos Santos told reporters at the Consulate General of the Republic of Angola in Lisbon.
According to the Vice-Consul for Angolan Communities, restrictions that have arisen a posteriori of official registration are not the responsibility of the National Electoral Commission (NCC) of Angola.
Asked if there are people registered in the African country and in Portugal, Carlos Santos explained that “no complaints have been received so far.”
“I am the CNE coordinator [de Angola] and I haven’t received any complaints. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive it. I do not have the opportunity to answer this because these questions were not asked in time,” he said.
On whether the counting of votes in Lisbon will be completed this Wednesday, the leader recalled that the check began in the late afternoon, but he still does not have access to the protocol, because “they were not prepared.”
“I can’t guarantee anything, employees will work if they need to, they leave these premises only after they finish work,” he said.
Carlos Santos was surrounded by demonstrators this Wednesday afternoon outside the consulate protesting against the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the party that rules the Portuguese-speaking African country.
“Civil society has taken a massive part. Our goal is clear. It is to see the fall of this dictatorship, but by democratic means… Democracy is a force that comes from the people. The Angolan community in Portugal should be congratulated because we have come here to effectively respect democracy as the rule of law that protects the rights of the people,” said Kissama de Castro of the Voices of Angola movement.
Supporting the leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA, opposition) Adalbeto Costa Junior, a spokesman for the protest group emphasized that “voting is a social necessity” and ensured that people are demobilized only when they know the results.
“(…) We will leave here only with the results. All the information that we do not have will be with us this Wednesday, we will start using popular methods,” he warned.
In turn, UNITA delegate Pedro Lopez said that the party “has nothing to do” with the demonstration.
“It’s just the voice of the people. It’s about civil society. It’s their initiative. They realized that they should be here in power and express themselves with what they were following. UNITA has nothing to do with this demonstration that we have seen. he remarked.
Pedro López also warned that people should “keep calm” until the results are released.
“Right now it [a decorrer] vote counting process. (…) Let’s keep calm until the count ends and someone comes up to us and tells us something,” he stressed.
Polling stations closed at 18:00 at the Consulate General of the Republic of Angola in Lisbon.
The fifth general election in Angola perpetuates the dispute between the country’s two main parties, the MPLA (government) and UNITA (opposition), which are trying to win a majority of the 220 seats in the National Assembly.
Joao Lourenço, the current president, is running for a second term, and his main opponent is Adalberto Costa Junior.
In total, eight political parties are running, trying to win the votes of 14.4 million voters.
The electoral process, which involves some 1,300 national and international observers, has been criticized by the opposition for lack of transparency.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
