Africa-Press – Angola. The president and candidate of the MPLA to the General Elections of 24 this month, João Lourenço, received yesterday, at the party’s headquarters, the head of the mission of electoral observers of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), the former President of Cabo Verde, Jorge Carlos Fonseca, with whom he discussed matters related to the election.
At the end of the meeting, Jorge Carlos Fonseca said that contact with the MPLA president allowed, in general, to exchange views on the electoral process. “I gave him information about what the electoral observer mission is going to do, the number of members and how we are going to work,” he said.
Jorge Carlos Fonseca made it known that the mission has 34 members and will work in Luanda, with the largest number, in Bengo, Cuanza-Norte and Cuanza-Sul, following this final phase of the electoral campaign, the voting process and the counting of results. “We will do our best to contribute, to our extent and with the limits we can have, so that the Angolan electoral process takes place with democratic normality, so that, in the end, the results reflect the genuine will of the Angolans”, stressed.
The head of the CPLP observer mission clarified that the team’s role is not aimed at validating votes, correcting the electoral process or operating the polling stations, but rather observing, verifying and, in the end, producing a report on the evaluation of the proces electoral. He added that, unlike other organizations, the CPLP does not, due to a series of factors, do long-term observation work.
Jorge Carlos Fonseca stressed that the mission will monitor and observe the final part of the electoral campaign, the voting process, the scrutiny or tabulation of results and will be in the country until the 27th of this month, a time he deems adequate for an objective assessment, to articulate with other observation missions.
“This is the focus. We cannot escape the limits of the nature of this mission. We cannot interfere in issues that have nothing to do with the electoral observation mission, which has rules and principles that must be obeyed”, emphasized the politician.
The former President of Cape Verde, however, referred that the fifth General Elections that the country will hold mark a path that Angola has taken towards consolidating Democracy and improving the Rule of Law and Democracy.
Jorge Carlos Fonseca was optimistic about the success of the elections, and wished that the results, whatever they may be, will be democratically accepted by everyone, so that Angola continues to tread the path of increasing progress, material or not, for the good of all Angolans.
The academic also considered the number of political formations competing for the election as a good sign, as it reflects the vitality of Angolan democracy. “It is a sign of interest on the part of political forces and Angolans, in the destiny, path and progress that Angola will have”, he stressed. Jorge Carlos Fonseca, who arrived in the country yesterday, assured that the observation mission he leads will hold meetings with other competing political formations and with the National Electoral Commission. “It will be a marathon of meetings, so that the mission fulfills its task, which is to observe the elections and witness the process here in Angola”, he concluded.
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