Angola and Mozambique opposition leaders condemn ‘electoral farce’ in Angola

Leaders of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) criticized this Friday the “electoral farce” that brought victory to the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in August.

“We don’t have to go far, just look at Angola, where UNITA won and convinced, but does not rule as a result of this electoral farce,” said Ossufo Momade, the leader of Renamo, during his speech at a conference on democracy in Africa, which will be held in this Friday in Lisbon.

The leader of the opposition in Mozambique spoke at the “Democracy in Africa” ​​conference organized by the International Democratic Center (IDC), which is taking place this Friday in Lisbon, at which he addressed the main difficulties in introducing democracy in African countries, with particular reference to Angola and his country, in which he believed that the electoral process had been “corrupted” by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) since 1994.

Osufo Momade’s criticism came just minutes after the President of UNITA addressed the main difficulties encountered in securing fair elections in Angola.

“During the three years of leading the opposition, I have never been allowed to participate in a debate with President Joao Lourenço, I have never given an interview in the state media, 10 months before the elections, the Constitutional Court canceled the congress that elected the opposition candidate, who was made three years earlier,” Adalberto da Costa Junior cited the example in his speech at a conference on democracy in Africa, in which he believed he had won the elections in August 2022.

“From here, I call on the African Union, the European Union, the Portuguese Parliament and the United States not to turn a blind eye to the unconstitutional actions that the ruling party has committed and is committing in order to remain in power and perpetuate poverty, hardship and crises affecting the rights and freedoms of the people” , said the President of UNITA.

Among various examples of electoral irregularities, Adalberto da Costa Junior criticized the “collusion” of several countries and institutions, including the World Bank, which he said “approved funding programs formally designed to buy votes” and said that there were “thousands of Angolans leaving country after the elections.

Criticism of the electoral process was also one of the strengths of the Mozambican opposition leader’s speech: “In Mozambique, the electoral process has been flawed since 1994, with electoral roll falsification, bogus voters, poor voter registration in areas with the most opposition support, political intolerance, intimidation and the killing of opposition figures, academics, activists and journalists by security forces, all to intimidate voters,” Ossufo Momade said, explaining that this is all done “at the behest of those who run the country.” over 40 years.”

In his speech, President Renamo, who is contesting the municipal elections at the end of the year and the presidential elections in 2024, said that in Mozambique “elections are far from being free, fair and transparent”, but emphasized that even in this case, some victories can be achieved in elections.

“Despite the opposition of the army and heavily armed police with armored tanks against the completely unprotected representatives of the opposition, we managed to resist and achieve certain victories, we elected deputies to the National Assembly, won some municipalities and municipal assemblies and are the government in some municipalities; in the last municipal elections in 2018, for example, we won almost half of the 53 municipalities, but we manage only eight,” he said.

According to him, the situation in Mozambique, where Frelimo has always ruled since independence, like the MPLA in Angola, “the situation has changed and favors the victory of the opposition,” which is difficult in the current conditions.

“It’s scary to say, but people were buried alive, including government officials, which is a clear sign that the population is saturated with the regime,” the Mozambican politician concluded.

He pointed out that the problem concerns not only Mozambique or Angola, but also several African countries where there is no clear separation between the ruling party and the state.

“Citizens, no matter how skilled and competent they may be, cannot occupy a prominent place in the public administration system if they do not belong to a party that supports the government,” Osufo Momade complained.

Previously, Adalberto da Costa Junior had already used the index of the Economist Intelligence Unit, The Economist’s economic analysis arm, to conclude that “only one democracy is complete, Mauritius, with six imperfect democracies, including Cape Verde, 14 hybrids, and 23 authoritarian democracies.” “. countries, including Angola and Mozambique.

He concluded that the colonial past “explains not current difficulties but ruling elites and constitutional upheavals, as happened in Angola and Equatorial Guinea.”

The meeting taking place today in Lisbon, dedicated to the theme “Democracy in Africa”, is supported by the International Democratic Center (IDC), which brings together more than 90 political parties, and takes place at the headquarters of the Union of Portuguese-speaking Capitals. Cities (UCCLA).