Early Election Results In Angola Rejected By Opposition Parties

In the ongoing Angolan elections, opposition parties have rejected the preliminary results. This gave the current ruling party, the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), 61.05% of the vote, and the next most popular party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), just over 20%. The opposition has claimed that these estimates are both false and unlawful. However, no tallies have actually been announced at the time of writing and the National Electoral Committee (CNE) is obliged to follow an extensive procedure before the announcement.

Meanwhile, although polling booths across the country started posting photographs of the results on social media, the publication of the results was suspended after it became clear that the MPLA looked set to lose in the capital Luanda. Since then, several opposition parties have responded with their own tally, which places MPLA just ahead of UNITA with 47.6% to 40.2%. In addition, the CNE has since distanced themselves from their preliminary results. One commissioner described the projection as coming “from another galaxy. It’s unbelievable,” whilst UNITA leader, Isaias Samakuva, insisted that “we don’t know where these results came from.”

Further damaging the credibility of both the announcement and the CNE was the earlier statement from Joao Martins, head of MPLA’s Political and Electoral Affairs. Martins claimed a landslide win quoting the exact numbers, which were only later announced by Julia Ferreira, the spokesperson for the CNE. Even more suspiciously, the president recently donated 250 million USD to the CNE, which some are calling a ‘slush fund.’

While this significant election has received a fair amount of international coverage, information in Angola remains scarce as the media is heavily controlled. Nonetheless, the media has still selectively reported on statements from international observers to present endorsement when all bodies, such as the European Union, the African Union, and the South African Development Committee, refused to comment on the validity of the counts after the polls had closed. Even the CNE, which is made up of Angolan diplomats, made suggestions for improvements to the voting procedure. For instance, in spite of describing the polls as “fair, free and credible,” the CNE recommended improving the lighting to help with accuracy and have requested that the CNE ensure meals are provided regularly to the officials to avoid “physical and mental breakdown or fatigue.” As such, both these suggestions have cast doubt on the results, which were tallied by starving officials in poor lighting.

Regardless, many international leaders have already accepted the provisional results, with Portugal extending their congratulations to Joao Lourenco, Dos Santos’s successor. With that said, Portugal has extensive links to Angola and is well-placed to object as many senior Angolans own significant assets there, which could be frozen to encourage compliance with the democratic process. Sadly, this will not happen, as “it’s not realistic that a small country like Portugal would be able to change” this type of attitude, explains Portugal’s former Minister of Industry and Energy. As well, although his comment refers to financial corruption, it applies equally to the electioneering, which seems to have taken place. His apparent resignation also ignores the so-called ‘Angolans’ building’ of luxury apartments on the Portuguese coast, named for the number of senior Angolans who own condominiums in it.

As such, Portugal is likely to remain silent about the recent election, but should not attract the sole blame. As well, the U.S. will probably join them in accepting these results, however invalid, because of the large amount of oil controlled by Sonangol, the Angolan State Oil Company, which is currently being run by the outgoing Dos Santos’s daughter, Isabel.  Moreover, the oil price is currently low and Angola has not maintained many of its oil rigs, as eight remain in operation in contrast to the 25 active rigs in 2014.

With that said, just as the international community will accept the results, Angolans themselves have little outlet for protest due to their strictly policed media.

On another note, as two-thirds of the country lives on under $2 a day, poverty and desperation may push the population into action, but they seem unlikely to receive any international support given the silence of the community at this juncture. With that in mind, a resource-rich ally will be less useful if it becomes unstable and one of the most corrupt countries in the world – 164th out of 176 countries, according to Transparency International – might then see its politicians brought to justice. With oil production predicted to stagnate by 2019, we might see a change soon, but it will not be in time for Angolans this election.

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