Day: August 19, 2022

Luanda – Mass rallies, training session of party delegates and sensitisation of voters to continuous civic behaviour in the electoral process took place this Thursday on the 26th day of the campaign for the general elections on the 24th August.

MPLA

At the MPLA mass rally in Benguela Province, the party´s head of the list, Joao Lourenço, accused, without mentioning names, that there are politicians being funded from abroad to defend an agenda beyond the interests of Angolans, calling them “a rental mouth” of “unconfessed interests”.

During the event, Lourenço also promised to organise, this year, a public competition for the recruitment of 415 health professionals, if he wins the ballot on 24 August.

PHA

In Malanje Province, the Humanist Party of Angola (PHA) presented to the civil society and the youth of Malanje its electoral manifesto and the government programme to be implemented in Angola, in case of winning the elections.

During the mass act, the PHA representative in Malanje, Marcos Raimundo José, said the party was born to give dignity to citizens and promote the continuous consolidation of peace, the strengthening of democracy and the preservation of unity among Angolans.

CASA-CE

The candidate for vice-president of the Republic for CASA-CE, Alexandre Sebastião André, promised in Ondjiva to build a university in Cunene Province, if the coalition wins the general elections.

On his arrival in Ondjiva Municipality, Alexandre Sebastião André told the press that the coalition will prioritise in Cunene, the construction of a university, in order to reduce the exodus of young people to other regions, in search of scientific knowledge.

APN

Meanwhile, the president of the National Patriotic Alliance (APN), Quintino Moreira, promised to build a railway line to link the provinces of Uige and Luanda, in order to facilitate the transportation of minerals, coffee, wood, among other products, to the country’s capital (Luanda).

Speaking at a rally event in the City of Uige, he reiterated that in case of winning the general elections, his party intends to grant bank loans to farmers of 50 million kwanzas each, to boost agricultural production.

UNITA

UNITA promoted a votes solicitation campaign in the Municipality of Cazenga, in Luanda, with messages appealing for patience and confidence in a positive outcome at the polls, in this month´s elections.

The provincial secretariat of the party continues to disseminate the governance programme inside Cazenga, calling the citizens to vote for its candidate for President of the Republic, Adalberto Costa Júnior.

FNLA

In the Municipality of Ndalatando, the FNLA´s first secretary for Cuanza Norte Province, Mateus Martins Vicente, praised the attitude of voters during the pre-election and election campaigns, ahead of the 24 August elections.

He said the Angolan people had matured politically and are ready to decide, in all conscience, on the future of the country.

PRS

At Least 14,400 delegates of the Social Renewal Party (PRS) have been accredited by the National Electoral Commission in Luanda to supervise the electoral process.

The provincial secretary of PRS, Novais Samungole, said that they are having a training session from 12 to 20 of this month, to better perform and ensure the smoothness of the voting process.

P-NJANGO

The P-NJANGO went to the Municipality of Ambriz, Bengo Province, to interact with religious bodies and civil society on the electoral process.

Vladimir Botelho, a member of P-NJANGO, said the country is experiencing a celebration time that should be respected by all Angolans.

CIVIL SOCIETY

Members of SADC´s civil society and diplomatic corps stressed, in Luanda, the organization and functioning of the National Scrutiny Centre.

At the end of a visit to the National Electoral Commission (CNE), the former President of the Angolan Bar Association (OAA), Manuel Gonçalves, the chairman of the Movangola organization, António Sawanga, and the Zambian Ambassador to Angola, Lawrence Chalungumana, were convinced that the system was ready and the CNE is also ready to hold the elections.

FAITH

The believers of the Catholic, New Apostolic and United Methodist churches in Lunda Sul Province have called for civic-mindedness, political tolerance, ethics and respect for differences in this phase of the electoral campaign.

The Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saurimo, Lunda Sul Province, Dom José Manuel Imbamba, the Reverend Pastor of the New Apostolic Church in Lunda Sul, José Baza and the Reverend Pastor of the United Methodist Church in Lunda Sul, João Isaac, urged the parties and civil agents to convey feelings of peace and harmony in the electoral process.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – A total of 2,228 Angolans are eligible to cast ballots in Angola’s August 24 elections in Paris, France, official data show.

A polling station has been set up at the Angolan diplomatic representation in the French capital for eligible voters to cast ballots.

A total of 22,560 Angolans are expected to cast ballots from abroad in the August 24 elections for the first time in the country, in 25 cities of 12 countries in Africa, Europe and South America (Brazil).

At least 14.3 million voters have been registered

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – Luanda city is expected to host the closing ceremony of the electoral campaign of the Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola – Electoral Coalition (CASA-CE) on Saturday (20), Under the motto “House, Work and Fair Salary”.

Just as happened to the provinces of Uíge, Bengo, Zaire, Namibe, Moxico, Benguela, Huambo, Bié and Cabinda, the CASA-CE candidate for the President of the Republic, Manuel Fernandes, will present the guidelines of the governance programme for the five-year period 2022/2027.

Economic and social issues will top the closing ceremony his electoral campaign.

Manuel Fernandes also vows to launch agriculture to fight against hunger among the population and reduce imports of essential goods.

He also promises to recover the country’s industrial parks and reform the economy, education, health, housing, energy and water sectors, in order to “generate more jobs and improve the population’s quality of life”.

He also announced plans to build a highway to link the provinces of Namibe/Zaire/Cabinda, to “accelerate” Angola’s development.

CASA-CE coalition is participating in the process along with MPLA, UNITA, PRS, FNLA, APN, PHA and P-NJANGO party.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Mbanza Kongo – At least 4, 000 National Police officers of the Interior Ministry (MININT) are mobilised to ensure the safety during the general elections of August 24 in northern Zaire province.

Members from all bodies integrating the branch of Ministry of Interior in the region, are on standby, including the technical means, a police source said on Friday.

At least ten police officers will be assigned to each polling station to observe at a distance of 500 meters from the polling station, according to Electoral Law.

Speaking to Angop, the spokesperson for the provincial branch of the Interior Ministry, sub-inspector of migration Sérgio Afonso said all polling stations will have police coverage, based on Electoral Law.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Viana – The president of Associação Mãos Livres (Free Hands Association) Guilherme das Neves has appealed to the voters to refrain from staying in the vicinity of polling places after voting.

Guilherme das Neves launched the call during a press conference on the electoral process held in Viana, Luanda, on Friday (19).

The official said that the presence of citizens at the polling stations, if it takes place, “would represent a danger, as the real intentions of the people are not known”.

Despite acknowledging that it is not forbidden to remain at a distance of more than 500 meters, he said there is no reason for voters to remain in the surroundings, since all political parties will be represented by delegates appointed to supervise the process.

Asked to comment on the movement of the defence and security forces, Guilherme das Neves said it was legal, and to “avoid any acts of instability”.

“One thing is the gathering and another is the demonstration, but all this in practice is not good, because the excesses on the part of the citizens will be greater on this day-off duty”, he stressed.

According to the human rights activist, “if the UNITA party claims to be right about its argument, from a practical point of view it is not advisable.”

On the alleged electoral fraud, he stated that “this speech has been around since the first elections in 1992”, stressing that the decision to vote is up to Angolans as potential voters.

He said he is optimistic that the elections will take place in a climate of peace and harmony, but he does not rule out the possibility of an incident depending on the results of each competing party.

As for the role of the Catholic Church in holding vigils, he considered it “a positive gesture, since at this stage the institution is becoming a credible voice for society”.

“Most Angolans are Christians and are praying for peace, because the mission of the Church is the pacification of spirits,’ ‘ he concluded.

Founded on April 25, 2000, Associação Mãos Livres (Free Hands Association) is a philanthropic organisation that watches over human rights and, among other tasks, provides legal support to vulnerable people, working on training and technical support for human development processes and access to justice.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – National Electoral Commission (CNE) set Friday voting priority for a particular group of electoral agents and allowed to vote with their uniforms.

The fact was announced Friday by CNE spokesman Lucas Quilundo while speaking to the press at the end of an extraordinary session of this body.

Quilundo mentioned, among the voters with priority, police officers, firefighters, health and Airlines professionals.

He said that the decision stems from the fact that, on June 24 this year, the CNE Plenary unanimously decided not to carry out early voting in these general elections.

The move prompted the creation of mechanisms that would quickly enable the voting of some groups of citizens, who would benefit from early voting.

Lucas Quilundo said that during the meeting, the terms of reference for holding an “International Seminar on Electoral Observation” were discussed.

This is to enable the observers to have a better understanding of the principles that govern Angolan legislation.

He clarified that the Seminar will take place on August 21, at the CNE headquarters, and will have as participants leaders of electoral observation missions and members of the National Electoral Commission.

“The Law stipulates that, 45 days after the end of the electoral process, candidacies must report through their electoral administrator on the way in which public funds were used for the purposes of electoral expenses”, he said.

About 14.3 million, including 22, 560 residing abroad, will vote in 2022 elections, where the parties such as MPLA, UNITA, PRS, FNLA, APN, P-NJANGO, PHA and CASA-CE are vying for the positions of President of Republic and Vice President.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – MPLA party presented to the Luanda-based Church leaders the main actions on the agenda for the 2022-2027 five-year period, aimed at strengthening the existing partnership in the social and citizenship domains.

MPLA wants to once again count on the engagement of churches, NGOs and other civil society organisations in the actions of support for populations, with stress to the most vulnerable people.

As part of its electoral campaign, entering its final stage, the MPLA Citizenship and Civil Society Office brought together religious entities and civil society representatives, with the aim of “renewing the vote of confidence” among them.

Projects and programmes in the areas of education, health, gender equality, protection of children and the elderly are, among others, actions that the MPLA wants to count again with the support of churches and civil society.

In the education sector, for example, the MPLA wants to continue to rely on the support of these institutions, to reduce the illiteracy rate at all ages, lowering it to less than 20%.

The political party also plans to reduce as much as possible the number of children outside the education system, according to António Agostinho, who presented the programme.

MPLA also expects support to intensify digital education and its expansion in the respective curricula, especially at the primary and secondary education levels.

Regarding higher education, the party expects to work with the aforementioned entities, to place at least two institutions in the country among the 200 best in Africa, among other actions.

“We count on religious institutions and civil society to participate in the implementation of the MPLA Programme”, reiterated António Agostinho.

On the other hand, the MPLA plans to reduce the unemployment rate to at least 25%, against the current 30.8%, investing in the professional internship programme, to facilitate the insertion of young people in the labour market, as well as the alteration of the remuneration model indexed to academic and technical qualifications.

Reducing as much as possible the rate of the population living below the poverty line, substantially increasing the number of households benefiting from direct monetary transfers and productive inclusion, namely through the Kwenda Programme, among the strategies of this party.

With Kwenda, it is expected, by 2025, to cover more than 1.6 million people with direct monetary transfers, to join the more than 320,000 already benefited, with about 16, 923 in productive activities.

The leaders of religious congregations said they hoped that the planned actions would be implemented and called for greater dialogue and consultation.

Representatives of the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST), the Congregation of Christian Churches in Angola (CICA), the Evangelical Alliance, the Association of the Disabled of Angola (ANDA), Women Entrepreneurs, among others participated in the event.

Source: Angola Press News Agency