Luanda - With just 24 hours to go before the opening of the election campaign in Angola, to be held over the next 30 days, civil society is multiplying its calls for tolerance and mutual respect among contestants.
The appeals for restraint, in this remarkable period for the country, come from various social organisations, which recommend an exemplary posture and respect for democratic foundations to the political players involved in the electoral dispute.
In the run-up to the ballot on 24 August, Angolans living in the country and abroad are called upon to preserve peace and political stability.
In the opinion of civil society organisations, the parties validated by the Constitutional Court to contest the general elections must take into account, above all, the need for civic-mindedness during the campaign.
Angola is going to the polls for the fifth time in its history since it gained independence on 11 November 1975.
In total, seven political parties and a coalition of parties are qualified to participate in the ballot, to dispute, inch by inch, the vote of the 14.3 million voters registered by the National Electoral Commission (CNE).
According to the civil society representatives heard by ANGOP, it is fundamental that the contestants prepare the militants and sympathisers for the need to be tolerant, despite the political and ideological differences.
They invoke the need for the contestants to look to the future and the welfare of the communities as the main objective to be achieved in the next five years of governance, as well as the continuous affirmation of Angola in the concert of nations.
For the head of the Electoral Observation Mission, Dom Gabriel Mbilingui, said it was fundamental that the country's political players have moderation in their speeches.
He advised them to remain firm and to respect the democratic process, hoping that this year's general elections would be free, fair and transparent.
The secretary-general of the Council of Christian Churches in Angola (CICA), DeolindaTeca, called on contestants to respect difference, stressing that they should not look at each other as enemies, but rather as political adversaries.
"We would not like politicians to bring situations that undermine harmony, peace and stability in Angola, that is why they should avoid mushy speeches that should not occur in the public and political stage," she advised.
The president of the Local Education Forum, Nelson Paulo, appealed to society to promote, at this stage, peace, national reconciliation and political stability in the country.
He is of the view that political actors, especially parties that benefit from public resources and other social benefits, are challenged to think of the national interest, to the detriment of group interests, in order to help preserve peace.
He appealed to churches to help in this process by providing scientific knowledge to inform the way society as a whole acts.
To that end, he suggested that they use the media and other similar bodies to spread the message to the largest number of Angolans, including abroad.
The associative leader pointed to dialogue as a fundamental tool to promote trust, having suggested the creation of some spaces where everyone can speak in an open way, involving exempt people and institutions.
He said that political parties and society should have a good attitude, based on tolerance, in order to prevent the process from leading to possible conflicts.
Transparent elections
The director-general of Action for Rural Development and the Environment (ADRA), Carlos Cambuta, called on political parties or coalitions of parties, and citizens in general, to opt for a civic conduct.
He said he hoped society would look at the elections as an opportunity to elect the party or coalition of parties that are up to the task of ruling the country, taking into account the challenges of the present and the future.
"Citizens must assume a behaviour based on plural respect and the will to contribute to the consolidation of peace and national reconciliation," he said.
He advised political players to avoid insulting speeches and to pass on to society positive ideas about the resolution of the various ills that plague the country.
Carlos Cambuta also argued that allegations of electoral fraud should be seen as a concern by all institutions and citizens.
"The country must overcome this challenge - confidence - with determination, that is, the allegations of fraud must be accompanied by objectively verifiable means and, if proven, must be corrected immediately, without prejudice to the timetable leading to the holding of the elections. In this way, all citizens with electoral capacity participate in the polls with the feeling of greater security", he stressed.
He also argued that the public and private media should treat all contestants equally, particularly in terms of news coverage of mass political events.
He also called for political parties to avoid personal attacks, which do not contribute to the good electoral atmosphere necessary for the country.
"We appeal, for this reason, to the running parties to opt for a debate of ideas on the various issues of national interest," he said.
Angola has an estimated 33.9 million inhabitants, according to figures recently published by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
Of these, 64.9 percent are young people, with an estimated 21.4 million people aged 25 or under.
For this year's general elections, 14.3 million voters are expected, of which 22,560 are due to vote from abroad.
This year's elections, which will have the participation of Angolans abroad for the first time, are the fifth in Angola's history, after those of 1992, 2008, 2012 and 2017.
Overseas voting will take place in 12 countries and 26 cities, such as South Africa (Pretoria, Cape Town and Johannesburg), Namibia (Windhoek, Oshakati and Rundu), Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Matadi), Congo (Brazzaville, Dolisie and Black Point) and Zambia (Lusaka, Mongu, Kolwezi).
Outside the continent, voting will take place in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Sao Paulo), Germany (Berlin), Belgium (Brussels), France (Paris), the United Kingdom (London), Portugal (Lisbon, Porto) and the Netherlands (Rotterdam).
The previous ballot was held on 23 August 2017 by six political forces, with the participation of 76.57 per cent of at least 9.3 million voters.
The MPLA won by an absolute majority, with 61 percent of the votes, ahead of UNITA (26.67 percent) and CASA-CE (9.44 percent).
