Africa-Press – Angola. The dissemination and carrying out of opinion polls and surveys on electoral matters are prohibited from the beginning of the campaign, within the scope of the Draft Law on the issue, under discussion in Parliament.
The Bill of Polls and Opinion Inquiries appreciated yesterday by the specialized committees, goes to the final global vote at the plenary meeting of the National Assembly on the 18th of this month.
The diploma, a legislative initiative by the Executive, prohibits the carrying out and dissemination of opinion polls and exit polls, a proposal opposed by opposition deputies.
The minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication, Manuel Homem, informed that the issue was one of the breaking points, in the discussions, in the specialty.
“The understanding of opposition deputies is that this research should be carried out on election day, but the Executive understands that it should not be like that”, said the minister, underlining that on election day, there should not be polling polls at the mouth of the urn, above all, by the dynamics of the electoral movement that is created that day.
According to the minister, under the terms of what is proposed, all research and polling activities can be carried out and disclosed even before the beginning of the electoral campaign period.
“However, our proposal does not prevent studies and polls from being carried out during the electoral period, as long as they are not disclosed in the media”, he clarified.
Minister Manuel Homem acknowledged that, within the scope of this Bill, the deputies made great contributions, which, for the most part, were accepted by the proponent.
“We are satisfied with the consensus reached”, he emphasized.
Press Law
The official said, on the occasion, that the Press Law came to adjust the need for the inclusion of polls in the Angolan legal system, “hence the need to make this update, as well as the introduction of community radios, as a principle that the class and the society have long fought each other”.
“The law today, especially on broadcasting, includes and accepts the licensing of community radios, which will allow for greater pluralism and dissemination of content at the community level”, he clarified.
Manuel Homem said that these gains are the result of a process of legislative reform that the sector has been increasing, with the aim of ensuring greater plurality and democracy.
Contradictory
The question of the adversary system, which was very much touched on during the discussions in the specialty, was later harmonized by the legislators and the proponent.
In this regard, the Minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication clarified that there is a principle of contradictory law and justice, as established in the Constitution, and another for the media, which is the right of reply.
According to the minister, for the purposes of Social Communication, the issue is not one of contradictory, but of the right of reply.
“It is necessary to guarantee the right of reply to the citizen and this is protected in the proposal under review and in the law in force”, he concluded.
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