UNITA leader Adalberto Costa Junior said his party “does not recognize the final result” of the August 24 election.
Angola’s main opposition party has applied to the country’s constitutional court to call off last month’s elections, in which the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) ruled. declare the winner.
The August 24 election was the most hotly contested in the oil-rich country since the first multi-party vote in 1992.
With just over 51% of the vote, the electoral commission declared the MPLA the winner – extending the party’s time almost five decades of uninterrupted rule and gave President Joao Lourenco a second term.
The National Alliance for the Full Independence of Angola (UNITA) – a former rebel movement that fought in a bitter 27-year civil war against the MPLA government that ended in 2002 – accounts for about 44% , Its the best result ever.
In a video speech late on Thursday, UNITA leader Adalberto Costa Junior, 60, reiterated that the previous rebel movement “did not recognize the final result” from the national election commission.
“The MPLA did not win the election… we have been at peace for 20 years and now we need to abide by a truly democratic rule of law,” Costa Junior said in a speech to the nation. streaming on its Facebook page.
The UNITA leader said he expected the constitutional court and committee to do their job by comparing their vote counting results with the party’s vote counting results that have yet to be fully released.
UNITA decided to take the matter to court after their complaints were dismissed by the committee on Tuesday.
“We will do everything we can to ensure that all votes are resolved effectively and are respected,” said Costa Junior.
‘Illegal’
On its official Instagram account, UNITA said it had filed a lawsuit to annul the election, confirming an earlier report by the Portuguese news agency Lusa, which cited a source close to the election. Party leadership said that the case listed “a number of complaints, leading to illegal” pledge of commission.
UNITA has repeatedly said that it does not recognize the results of the vote and many complaints have been filed with the electoral commission. The party has invoked the difference between the amount of the commission and the amount of that party.
Although the commission denied any wrongdoing and insisted the election was fair and transparent, four of the 16 election commissioners failed to sign off on the final results, expressing doubts about the election. this progress.
Earlier on Thursday, Artur Torres, a spokesman for the Constitutional Court, explained that after the committee has made a decision, the complainant can appeal before the court. The Court currently has 72 hours to notify all interested parties and another 72 hours to issue a ruling on the matter.
Analysts say the ruling party controls the court, led by a former MPLA member, but the government says it exercises its powers independently.
Prime Minister Lourenco, 68, has pledged to push through reforms during his second term, including privatizing underperforming state assets and continuing to clean up corruption.
So far, however, his reforms have failed to produce a fairer distribution of the vast oil wealth of Angola – Africa’s second-biggest producer – much of which remains in the hands of Mr. some MPLA officials have good relations.
MPLA is the sole party running the country since Independence from Portugal in 1975. But the ruling party had the worst result this year, down from winning with 61% of the vote in 2017.
Voter turnout was low, only about 45% of those registered to vote.
