Africa-Press – Angola. The commander-general of the National Police, commissioner-general Arnaldo Manuel Carlos, announced the closure of national borders on polling day (tomorrow), and they will be under intense patrol until the closing of polling stations, in a process to be ensured by more than 80 thousand employees.
The commander made this statement, at the Luanda Operative Unit, during the launch of the Defense and Security Forces for the elections scheduled for this Wednesday.
He clarified that on polling day, the Defense and Security Forces will have a dual mission: “as citizens, they will exercise the right to vote and, at the same time, protect polling stations and guarantee voters’ safety”, asking staff to discipline, cohesion , respect and organization, as well as the preservation and maintenance of individual and collective equipment.
He stated that the police force can be requested to intervene in any act inside or outside the polling stations, on the recommendation of the chairman of the polling station, in case of disturbance of public order. He recalled that voters must have a civic and orderly conduct, being prohibited the presence at polling stations of drunk individuals and those who have already voted. After voting, citizens should return to their normal routine, avoiding staying at the polling station, as political parties have representatives at polling stations to deal with matters relating to the ballot.
He reaffirmed that the Police are prepared to intervene in any attempt to subvert public order and tranquility and appealed to the population to avoid engaging in acts that could disrupt the functioning of polling stations or violate essential presuppositions of public order and security. Arnaldo Manuel Carlos considered that the public security situation in the country is stable, taking into account the balance of the work done in the context of securing the elections.
He stressed that there was a decrease in the statistics of crimes that, in general, influence the population’s sense of security. He underlined that the pre-campaign and the electoral campaign took place in a peaceful, civic and orderly manner, witnessing a “true party of democracy”. He highlighted that, taking into account the complexity of the process and the need to guarantee the full implementation of the Election Assurance Plan, the state of 100 percent prevention was determined for all personnel mobilized for this purpose.
He informed that tomorrow the security forces will be placed 100 meters from the polling station tables, in a state of readiness and increased surveillance, to avoid any act that jeopardizes the functioning of the polling stations or the safety of voters.
More Than 80,000 Personnel mobilized The Ministry of the Interior mobilized a total of 80,182 personnel to ensure the fifth General Elections, scheduled for tomorrow.
The Defense and Security Forces, belonging to the National Police, Penitentiary Service, Migration and Foreigners Service, Fire Service and Criminal Investigation Service, are prepared to guarantee security in all polling stations, as well as to prevent disturbances during the environment. electoral.
The Director of Public Security and Operations of the National Police, Commissioner Orlando Bernardo, explained yesterday, during a press conference, at the Luanda Operative Unit, that of this number 35,930 personnel are destined for the physical protection of the National Electoral Commission, of the provincial electoral commissions and polling stations.
Orlando Bernardo stressed that, during the electoral campaign period, the Defense and Security Forces carried out 717 escorts of vehicles from the National Electoral Commission, of which 285 were interprovincial and 482 were inter-municipal transporting the logistics of the electoral process.
The Defense and Security Forces ensured 758 mass political events, promoted by political parties and coalitions of parties competing for the elections, during the campaign, when between 10 and 250 thousand participants were mobilized. He mentioned that there were no incidents, due to prior consultation between the parties and the Defense and Security Forces.
The spokesperson for the Election Assurance Post stressed that 12 electoral offenses were recorded during the election campaign, consisting of the removal of flags from all political parties, which led to the arrest of 30 individuals held criminally responsible in several provinces.
22 flags of various political parties, three computers, two tablets, and a micro-printer stolen by criminals in one of the centers of the National Electoral Commission were also recovered. He informed that the 100 micro-operations, carried out in the electoral campaign, allowed the arrest of 472 people involved, as well as 45 firearms, 27 vehicles and 24 motorcycles were seized.
Orlando Bernardo urged the officers to remain firm at this stage of the process, which aims to preserve public order and tranquility, with the aim of guaranteeing electoral stability, observing the basic principles of police assessment, without being influenced by external movements.
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