Angola is putting in place the pillars of a multi-party constitutional reform process that will lead to parliamentary and presidential elections in the near future
| Juliao Mateus Paulo, Secretary General of the MPLA |
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ngola last held national elections in 1992 following the Bicesse Accord of 1991, in which the outline for a democratic electoral process was created that would be supervised by the United Nations. President dos Santos won the election by 49% of the vote, to 40% for UNITA's (the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) Jonas Savimbi. The elections were contested by UNITA, and the country was once again plunged into the throes of war. However, UNITA MPs decided to occupy their sixty seats in the National Assembly in 1997, a move that represented the beginning of an ideological shift for the party and which sowed the seeds for the 2002 peace agreement. The end of the war in Angola has allowed the country to begin to fully convert to a multiparty democracy, and President dos Santos’s administration has spent the last two years putting the pillars of this into place. The government’s reconciliation programme, which commenced immediately after peace was declared, has aimed at ensuring that all the country’s political parties are involved in the country’s reconstruction and democratisation. Hence, a multi-party constitutional reform process is now underway in parliament, and President dos Santos has made clear his intent to hold new parliamentary and presidential elections after the approval of the new constitution, which is currently in the process of being drafted, and most estimates point to a 2006 election.
Secretary General of the MPLA, Juliao Mateus Paulo, known as “Dino Matross”, says that the government is wary of a repeat of the 1992 elections, and wants to ensure the proper conditions for a free and fair voting process that will not be contested. This is not something that can happen overnight, according to Dino Matross, who says that a weakened state administration, lack of concrete legal frameworks, and poor access to rural areas must all be improved to ensure the construction of a solid electoral system. He comments, “We have emerged from a recent war; we have not been able yet to do electoral registration because that takes time. Some people say there are 12 million people in Angola, but I think the figure is closer to 15 million, and we cannot register these people in six months. There is also a need for a new constitution. In general, we need to create conditions that we do not have now, and this is going to take two more years.” Caetano de Sousa, President of the National Elections Council, supports this view. He says that Angola’s internal migration has been wreaking havoc with its civil identification registries, let alone its electoral registry, and that many citizens do not even possess national identification cards.
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Political cooperation has been a strong theme for Angola in the past two years as it has embarked on further democratisation. The involvement of the UNITA party in the nation’s political processes has been repeatedly stressed by the ruling MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) party and a priority focus in their National Reconciliation Programme. Roberto de Almeida, President of the National Assembly, which has 220 members, says that the drafting of the new constitution is being carried out with input from both MPLA and UNITA representatives, as well as from parties that do not currently hold National Assembly seats. New laws under draft include a new electoral law, a national and international electoral inspection law, an electoral registration law, and a media law. Mr de Almeida states, “We are working to create a new constitution that will be a document obtained with the consent of the majority of political parties, society, national organisations, trade unions and all citizens. It will be the subject of intensive discussion in the legislative assembly, and we will listen to parties that do not have seats as well.”
The new constitution will be tailor- made for a new Angola, and will reflect the needs and rights of all Angolans says Cristiano A. André, Presiding Judge of the Supreme Court. He adds, “The Supreme Court is determining to support a new legal system that will be more solid and more transparent, and that will help Angola in the reconstruction and peace process. We will also guarantee that the next elections are conducted in the most democratic way, respecting the Angolan people and their wishes.”
Trade revenues must be channelled toward healthcare and sanitation
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General Agostinho Fernández Nelumba, Chief of State of the Angolan Armed Forces, says that the impartial autonomy of the Armed Forces will be used to ensure that the future elections are fair. He explains, “We want to guarantee that these elections occur without any mishaps to avoid a repeat of 1992. The Armed Forces will not be working under the influence of any party but as an independent organisation, and in this way we can ensure that the elections are fair, that no military pressure has been exerted in obtaining the results, and that it is the will of the people that determines the governing party.” General Nelumba says that efforts are being made to convert the Armed Forces into a symbol of national unity, and since 2002, the army has been active in the reconstruction process, especially in the rebuilding of roads and in the removal of landmines, which has been carried out in cooperation with international agencies. He admits that lack of resources has been a determining factor in the reconstruction process, and emphasises the need for increased international aid. “The situation in Angola is good and stable in a military sense and in a moral sense, we just need support from the international community. This is a country that was at war for many years, and it now has a number of pressing needs.”
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