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Angola's polls only at home
21/03/2008 08:21 - (SA)
Luanda - Angola's government had overturned a court ruling to allow citizens in the diaspora and refugees to register to vote in elections planned later this year, said a government minister.
Minister of Territorial Administration Virgilio Fontes Pereira was quoted in Thursday's state-run Jornal de Angola as saying: "There are no technical conditions to hold voter registration overseas."
Fontes Pereira, who also heads the inter-ministerial commission for the electoral process, indicated that the government would later enable Angolans abroad to vote, but was unable to register them for September polls in spite of a Supreme Court ruling early this month.
The long-awaited parliamentary elections are scheduled for September 5 and 6, and will be the first polls after nearly 27 years of civil war which ended in 2002.
Fontes Pereira added that the government was trying to create ways to accommodate Angolans living abroad for future elections.
Went to court two years ago
"The government is committed to create necessary conditions and as soon as possible," he added. "In other elections, Angolans residing overseas will be able to take part."
The decision was denounced by the main opposition National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita), which two years ago took the government to court about the issue.
Unita spokesperson Adalberto da Costa jnr told the Roman Catholic Radio Ecclesia: "We regret sincerely that Angolans are being deliberately left out of a process in which they have a right to take part."
He added that the authorities had had ample time to "set up logistics and other means" to ensure every Angolan took part in the elections, which would notably bring nationals abroad in Portugal - where Unita supporters are believed to have an edge - into the electoral process.
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