Angola: MPLA em busca de uma vitória credível

Formed just months ago by the highly regarded Abel Chivukuvuku, himself formerly of UNITA and with close links to the late war-time leader Jonas Savimbi, CASA-CE brings a new dynamic to the Angolan political scene. Angolan expert Markus Weimer from London-based think tank Chatham House said that while CASA-CE could only hope to secure a few seats in parliament, its formation was ruffling feathers within the MPLA. "I think the MPLA is worried by CASA-CE because it is an unknown," he said. "The party has come seemingly from nowhere and from nothing and they are not quite sure how to handle them." Weimer said he was confident the MPLA, which has a firm grip on the country's economy and media, both state and private, would win the vote. He added that it was crucial that the doubts over the voting process were cleared up. "The process needs to be seen as legitimate by everyone for the MPLA's win to be accepted," he explained. "The MPLA will be prepared to lose seats if it means the election is regarded as credible and legitimate." Angola's experience of elections is limited, having only previously held two since the country's independence from Portugal in 1975. The 2008 poll passed peacefully despite widespread allegations of vote-rigging, but the election in 1992 was abandoned midway and triggered a second phase of the civil war that lasted until 2002. The first civil war began after independence in 1975 until 1991. There are fears that if opposition parties do not feel the vote is conducted fairly, this could trigger protests and lead to unrest. "We want to keep a positive approach and avoid this," UNITA's Alcides Sakala said. "We will be insisting that the law is followed so that we can avoid other situations that can lead to other difficulties that are not good for the country." He said they had been encouraged by the Supreme Court's June decision to uphold his party's appeal against the appointment of MPLA member Suzanna Ingles to the presidency of the CNE despite only being a lawyer, and not a serving judge as the law required. While this is a legislative election, the vote will also decide who will be Angola's president because a controversial change in the constitution in 2010 means that the head of state is now elected from the top of the list of the party which wins the most parliamentary votes. With the MPLA on course for what seems like another victory, Dos Santos, who has been in power for 33 years since 1979 despite never being formally elected, will be handed a new five-year term. The length of the 69-year-old's presidency, one of the longest in Africa, alongside widespread allegations of illicit enrichment by his family and inner circle, has been a driver for some of the recent youth protests. Despite the country's enormous oil wealth and impressive post-war economic growth, between half and two thirds of the population still live in poverty, many in slum-style conditions without access to running water, sanitation or electricity. IPS