Africa-Press – Cape verde. The UCID reports alleged cases of harassment of party members in Porto Novo and on the island of Sal, as well as alleged crimes of defamation and insult against the leader of the list for the Municipal Assembly of São Filipe, in Fogo. The president of the political party promises to move forward with criminal and civil proceedings in two of these situations.
The statements were made today by João Santos Luís, during a press conference to address some constraints detected during the first phase of the local election process.
“Given the seriousness of the situation in at least two municipalities, such as São Filipe, on the island of Fogo, and Porto Novo, on the island of Santo Antão, the UCID is considering filing criminal and civil proceedings with the courts of these districts. In the first case, against the representative of the PAICV and the Municipal Council of São Filipe for defamation, insult, and abusive use of false and incorrect personal data, with the permission of the Municipal Council led by the PAICV. In the second case, for the crime of harassment of citizens, with promises of donation of public land, by the Municipal Council of Porto Novo, led by the MpD”, he stated.
In Sal, the court dismissed the UCID’s top candidate for the Municipal Assembly, after an objection from the MpD, which alleged his ineligibility for being a member of the Electoral Census Commission, without having requested to be removed from office. The party was given a 48-hour deadline to replace him.
João Santos Luís stated that the political force faced four challenges to its candidacies, presented by the PAICV and the MpD, which have since been overcome.
On another front, the UCID accuses courts and Civil Registry offices of proceeding differently from municipality to municipality.
“This fact clearly demonstrates the lack of harmony between the State institutions, based on all the islands of the country, but also the need for training and capacity building in the Electoral Code. The unequal treatment of UCID candidates in some structures, compared to the candidates of the ruling party, undermines the principles of neutrality and impartiality in the electoral process”, he said.
In the local elections on 1 December, UCID will be running in 11 of the 22 municipalities. The electoral campaign starts this Thursday.
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