Opposition party in Angola files legal challenge against vote results

• The opposition party in Angola has filed a judicial case against the election results.
• The complaint was filed with the national electoral commission on Thursday.
• The MPLA, which received 51.17 percent of the vote, was proclaimed the winner on Monday.

The main opposition party in Angola announced on Thursday that it had filed a judicial case contesting the validity of the election last week, which saw the long-ruling MPLA win, albeit with a substantially smaller majority.

According to Faustino Mumbika, national secretary of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), “The complaint about the final results was filed with the (national electoral commission) today,”

The oil-rich nation’s elections on August 24 saw the fiercest competition since its first multi-party poll in 1992.

The Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which received 51.17 percent of the vote, was proclaimed the winner on Monday, granting President Joao Lourenco, 68, a second term.

In comparison to the last election in 2017, when UNITA received 26.67% of the vote, it significantly increased its vote share to 43.95% in 2018.

Adalberto Costa Junior, the 60-year-old leader of UNITA, reiterated in a late-night video speech that the former rebel movement “does not respect the final results” from the national electoral commission.

“We will do everything to ensure that all votes are effectively counted and respected,” he said.

The MPLA has historically exercised control over the electoral process, and civic and opposition groups have expressed concerns about vote-rigging.

Due to their concerns with the procedure, four of the 16 electoral commissioners did not approve the final results.

The MPLA government was bitterly engaged in a 27-year civil war with UNITA, which is now contesting the results of the poll and claiming irregularities in the count.

The first step in a procedure that could take more than a week is filing a complaint with the election commission.

The country’s Constitutional Court’s spokesman, Artur Torres, earlier on Thursday clarified that the complaint has a right of appeal to the court after the commission issues its ruling.

Costa Junior stated in his video message that he anticipated the commission and constitutional court would “truly perform their functions”.

“We have been at peace for twenty years and we need to embrace a truly democratic and lawful state,” he said.

Since the nation’s 1975 separation from Portugal, the MPLA has been the only party in power. But compared to its victory with 61 percent of the vote in 2017, the ruling party had its worst performance this year.

Only around 45% of those who were registered to vote participated in the election, which had low turnout.

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