Angola top court dismisses opposition petition against August 23 polls.
The Angolan Constitutional Court on Wednesday dismissed an election petition challenging the outcome of the August 23 vote.
The court said after assessing the case filed by the opposition bloc, it found the results of the elections published by the National Electoral Commission “valid”.
The elections body, CNE, gave the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) over 60% of votes in its final result declaration last week. It is the party’s fourth straight victory since the return to multi-party rule in 1992.
“The provincial recount was carried out within the legally established period and in accordance with the procedures provided for,” the Court said.
According to its president, Rui Ferreira, the courts studied all the appeals of the parties and considered that the elections had been “free, transparent and fair”.
The final results indicated that the MPLA, which has ruled the country since its independence in 1975, garnered 61.07% of the vote and an absolute majority of 150 seats in the 220-seater legislature.
According to the Angolan Constitution, MPLA candidate, former defense minister Joao Lourenço, 63, must therefore be invested on 21 September as President of the Republic.
He will succeed José Eduardo dos Santos, 75, who has decided to retire after close to four decades in charge of the former Portuguese colony.
Behind the MPLA, Unita (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) obtained 26.67% of the votes and 51 legislators, whereas the Casa-CE (Great convergence for the salvation of Angola) accounted for 9.54% translating to 16 parliamentary seats.
Two other parties hostile to the regime, the PNS and the FNLA shared the last three seats of the new Parliament.
The leaders of these four opposition parties had threatened to “appeal to the people” if their appeal to the courts was rejected. President-elect Joao Lourenço in turn warned them against any “attempt to incite civil disobedience”.
Angola, whose population is one of the poorest on the African continent, has been struggling for three years in a serious economic and financial crisis caused by the fall in oil prices, its main source of income.
The court said after assessing the case filed by the opposition bloc, it found the results of the elections published by the National Electoral Commission “valid”.
The elections body, CNE, gave the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) over 60% of votes in its final result declaration last week. It is the party’s fourth straight victory since the return to multi-party rule in 1992.
In its ruling, the highest judicial body in the country rejected all applications for annulment for “irregularities” filed by four opposition parties.The provincial recount was carried out within the legally established period and in accordance with the procedures provided for.
“The provincial recount was carried out within the legally established period and in accordance with the procedures provided for,” the Court said.
According to its president, Rui Ferreira, the courts studied all the appeals of the parties and considered that the elections had been “free, transparent and fair”.
The final results indicated that the MPLA, which has ruled the country since its independence in 1975, garnered 61.07% of the vote and an absolute majority of 150 seats in the 220-seater legislature.
According to the Angolan Constitution, MPLA candidate, former defense minister Joao Lourenço, 63, must therefore be invested on 21 September as President of the Republic.
He will succeed José Eduardo dos Santos, 75, who has decided to retire after close to four decades in charge of the former Portuguese colony.
Behind the MPLA, Unita (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) obtained 26.67% of the votes and 51 legislators, whereas the Casa-CE (Great convergence for the salvation of Angola) accounted for 9.54% translating to 16 parliamentary seats.
Two other parties hostile to the regime, the PNS and the FNLA shared the last three seats of the new Parliament.
The leaders of these four opposition parties had threatened to “appeal to the people” if their appeal to the courts was rejected. President-elect Joao Lourenço in turn warned them against any “attempt to incite civil disobedience”.
Angola, whose population is one of the poorest on the African continent, has been struggling for three years in a serious economic and financial crisis caused by the fall in oil prices, its main source of income.
Angolan opposition parties formally challenge election results in court
Three out of the five Angolan opposition parties that contested in the August 23 elections have filed formal appeals at the Constitutional Court demanding the annulment of the results that secured massive victory for the ruling MPLA party.
The three parties, including the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), the FNLA and the PRS, filed their petitions on Friday alleging widespread irregularities, AFP reports.
“In 15 provinces (out of 18), the electoral law was violated and we demand the invalidation of the results published by the National Electoral Commission (CNE) in order to re-establish the truth,” Unita’s campaign director, Ruben Sikato, told reporters.
The electoral commission announced the final results on Wednesday with the ruling MPLA winning the polls by 61.07 percent of the votes and a parliamentary majority with 150 out of the 220 seats.
In 15 provinces (out of 18), the electoral law was violated and we demand the invalidation of the results published by the National Electoral Commission (CNE) in order to re-establish the truth.
UNITA won 26.67% of the votes and 51 seats in parliament followed by the CASA-CE coalition (9.54% and 16 seats), PRS party (1.35%, 2 seats), FNLA party (0.93%, 1 seat) and APN party (0.51%, no seat).
All the grieving parties filed their appeals within the stipulated 72 hours deadline after the announcement of final results on Wednesday.
The CASA-CE coalition is expected to file an appeal on Saturday against the result, AFP cites officials of the party as saying.
The APN party founded barely 18 months to the polls conceded defeat and congratulated the president-elect Joao Lourenco on Thursday. Flagbearer Quintino Moreira said the results “demonstrate the will of the people”.
The Constitutional Court is supposed to rule on the appeals in 72 hours after filing. Per the constitution, the winner of the polls must be sworn-in on September 25 as the President of Angola.
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