Angola opposition coalition reject poll outcome, threaten court action

Four out of Angola’s five opposition parties have requested a recount of ballots after the August 23rd election alleging widespread irregularities in the process.

According to the elections body, the ruling MPLA party – the country’s only ruling party post-independence, won the polls by over 60%.

But the opposition coalition insists the process was tainted and that a recount was necessary failure to which they will resort to the courts. The communique dated September 3 was signed by leaders of main opposition UNITA, CASA-CE, PRS and FNLA.

The only party that did not join was the APN, a party born barely eighteen months to the polls. It is not clear why they did not join even though they have yet to state whether or not they accepted the outcome of the polls as announced.

Joint declaration (In portuguese) of 4 Angolan opposition parties rejecting results to be announced by Election Commission. #AngolaDecides pic.twitter.com/D5jo869uNm

— Zenaida Machado (@zenaidamz) September 3, 2017

The independent National Electoral Commission has, however, rejected the allegation claiming the opposition leaders have hatched a plan to undermine the credibility of the transparent electoral process.

Angola’s president-elect, Joao Lourenco is scheduled to take office in about three weeks (September 25). He will be the third president of independent Angola. He will take over from long serving Eduardo dos Santos, who stepped down after 38 years in charge.

Dos Santos took over after the death of the first president Agostinho Neto. Lourenco has vowed to boost foreign investment promising voters that he will like to be remembered as a leader who brought an economic change to Angola.