Luanda – Angola’s electoral campaign reached its third day Tuesday with the presentation of the programmes from the eight competing political parties through the airtime available on Radio and Television stations, among other activities.
The second day of the campaign ended on Monday with the approval of the organization on regulation and operation of the National Electoral Commission (CNE)’s counting centre in Luanda.
The counting centre is the structure where converge the minutes and other information from the polling stations which allow the CNE to count the votes.
CNE spokesman Lucas Quilundo explained that the regulation of this body was adapted to the changes introduced to the electoral law of 30 November 2021.
As for airtime, each candidate has 10 minutes on daily basis on Radio Station – RNA and five minutes on Public Television of Angola (TPA) to promote their electoral plans and government programmes or other proposals.
On Monday, the PRS (a political party running for governance) announced a project to create a two-chamber Parliament if it wins the August 24 general elections.
The head of the PRS list, Benedito Daniel, mentioned that his party’s intention is to create a Senate and a House of Representatives, to “decide on the real needs of the people”.
He said that a two-chamber Parliament represents “the best way” for Angola’s democracy, while the one-chamber Parliament “does not respond to the population’s desires”.
In turn, the head of the Nationalist Party for Justice in Angola (P-NJANGO), Eduardo Jonatão “Dinho” Chingunji, called for peace and harmony during the 24 August’s elections.
Chingunji also took advantage of Monday’s day to inaugurate his party’s Provincial Committee, in Benguela, in the center-coast of the country.
He said that, in the event of an electoral victory, he will bet on the fight against hunger and poverty, through the revival of family farming in the country.
Among the measures to be adopted, he spoke of the improvement of the quality of health and education services provided to the population. He defended the strengthening of health care coverage and the construction of more schools in the communities.
Eduardo Chingunji reiterated that his party, born last May, has been preparing for 11 years, with “clear convictions”.
“A traditional jango in Angola is a place to sit and solve problems”, he said to explain the origin of the name of his party P-NJANGO.
Meanwhile, UNITA’s candidate for President of the Republic Adalberto Costa Júnior reiterated his commitment to strengthening the country’s social policies and working with everyone, based on merit.
He expressed the desire to see his electoral project materialised, based, among several reforms, on the establishment of an “inclusive and participatory government”.
He considers that the time has come to do something different and better, having, for that purpose, asked for a “massive vote” for his party.
While the Humanist Party of Angola (PHA), valuing the life and social conditions of Angolans is the government’s priority in the event of victory in the general elections on 24 August.
Among other projections, PHA dedicated its airtime to the presentation of its head-of-list, Florbela Catarina Malaquias, highlighting her academic, professional and political career.
She underlined that she wants to be a government to “humanise Angola” and defined humanism as a doctrine that places man at the center of governance priorities, rejecting oppression, subordination, exploitation and social exclusion.
“We believe that only with humanism we’ll be able to cultivate the spirit, take care of bodies, restore the joy of living, define our own destiny, connect with ourselves, with others, with nature and with Africa”, she stressed.
The PHA proposes to change the country’s management model, resources, people and their interests, rights and expectations, as its vocation is to “take care of people and live up to the demands of humanity”.
The Humanist Party of Angola is running for the first time in the general elections, with the jurist Florbela Malaquias as a candidate for President of the Republic.
P-NJANGO, the Humanist Party of Angola also emerged last May, after being legalised by the Constitutional Court (TC).
The campaign officially opened at 00:00 (23:00 GMT) on Sunday, 24 July.
The elections of next August, which will have the participation of Angolans residing abroad, for the first time, and it’s the fifth in the history of Angola, after those of 1992, 2008, 2012 and 2017.
Electoral population
Some 14.3 million, of whom 22.560 registered abroad, are expected to cast their ballot in 24 August elections.
Luanda, Huíla, Benguela and Huambo represent, among the country’s 18 provinces,
the largest electoral stronghold.
These four provinces sums up to 8.2 million voters, or 57.2%, of whom 4.6 million are residing in Luanda alone (37%).
Huila has 1.235 million voters (8.6%), Benguela 1.201 million (8.4%) and Huambo 1.103 million (7.7%).
Bié follows with 783,162 voters (5.4%), Cuanza-Sul 747,068 (5.2%), Uíge 712,482 (5.0%), Lunda-Norte 532,005 (3.7%), Malanje 509,616 (3.5%) and Cunene 430,907 (3.0%).
Moxico has 416,118 voters (2.9%), Cabinda 367,392 (2.6%), Zaire 321,805 (2.2%), Cuando Cubango 292,472 (2.0%), Lunda-Sul 276,895 (1, 9%), Namibe 264,711 (1.8%), Bengo 260,468 (1.8%) and Cuanza-Norte 249,961 (1.7%).
Overseas voting will take place in 12 countries, being: South Africa with polling stations in Pretoria, Cape Town and Johannesburg, as well as Namibia, where voting will be held in Windhoek, Oshakati and Rundu, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Matadi.
The eight competing political parties are MPLA, UNITA, CASA-CE, PRS, FNLA, APN, PHA and P-NJANGO.
Source: Angola Press News Agency
