Today as Angolans go to the polls, the government's claim to be holding democratic elections is challenged by reports of actions taken to silence dissent, writes Florence Mutesasira
AS ANGOLANS vote today in their first legislative elections in 16 years, the Angolan government is determined that the country sets "an example to our continent and the world in general, holding democratic, free and transparent elections".
In the elections, 10 political parties and four coalitions, consisting of more than 5,000 candidates, will compete for the 220 parliamentary seats in the Angolan National Assembly. This will be the second time Angola will have held elections since independence in 1975. The 1992 elections, which were joint presidential and legislative elections, led to renewed violence and the continuation of a 27-year civil war.
The government of Angola has taken important steps to ensure that the elections are considered "free and fair", including implementing a comprehensive voter registration process which has resulted in more than eight million Angolans being listed on the voter registry, of an estimated population of 16 million.
Voter education programmes were conducted nationwide by government and national civil society organisations, explaining the voting process and explaining why people should cast their vote in these elections.
Each of the 10 political parties and four coalitions were allocated daily airtime on both the national radio and television stations - 10 minutes on radio and five minutes on television to present their manifestos and policies to the nation.
The election process will be monitored by international and regional election observers, including observers from the EU, as well as national electoral staff and voluntary teams from local civil service organisations.
However, in the face of all these efforts, the credibility of the government's claims to be holding democratic elections is challenged by reports of actions taken to silence dissent and secure the vote for the ruling MPLA party (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola). There have been reports of intimidation of opposition parties and the media. Violence against supporters of opposition supporters, in particular those of the main opposition party Unita, is rumoured to have occurred.
Months before the date of August 5th when campaigning could officially start, the MPLA featured in media coverage, billboards and posters showcasing the achievements of the current government: the schools, health centres, roads and homes built in the last six years since the end of the civil war. They were not campaigning - just showing Angolans what their government had done to develop their country.
In case you missed the billboards and posters, there were the truckloads of MPLA campaigners in party T-shirts, waving flags and singing party slogans in the streets. Still not campaigning, just holding supporters' rallies.
It remains questionable how the government plans to support the claim of democratic elections on such an uneven playing field, where the ruling party has such a great advantage over the other players. In addition, open and free media debate has been restricted in the run-up to the elections. On July 8th, the government suspended the broadcasting permit of Unita-backed Radio Despertar for 180 days, supposedly because it was broadcasting beyond the agreed 50km range permitted in the capital, Luanda.
The airtime allocated to each of the different parties is also competing with countless hours of airtime and print media coverage the ruling party is getting to publicise the government's achievements. Only the state-run radio station, TPA, can broadcast nationwide and its coverage favours the MPLA. Radio Ecclesia, the only independent radio in Angola, has been trying unsuccessfully for years to get permission from the government to broadcast beyond Luanda.
Luiz Araújo, co-ordinator of SOS Habitat, a Christian Aid partner which helps people affected by forced evictions, is one of the Angolans who don't expect change from these elections.
"I don't think the elections will change much because they won't be democratic. To have democratic election, the first thing you need is a democracy," he says.
"It's a paradox - democratic elections and a dictatorship. We have everything - elections, political parties - but democracy here is a farce. It's like a man dressed up as a woman, but everyone knows it's a man. Dictatorship is dressed up as democracy, but everyone knows it's a dictatorship."
The government needs to show citizens that they are committed to becoming a real democracy with - among other things - respect for human rights, freedom of the press and transparent processes. Only then will the Angolan people feel able to vote without fear of reprisals, and only then will confidence in the democratic process improve.
With Angolan presidential elections set for 2009, lessons should be learned this time round and any shortcomings corrected to ensure that those presidential elections are, as far as possible, "democratic, free and transparent".
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Florence Mutesasira is communications and media officer for Christian Aid Ireland
"I don't think the elections will change much because they won't be democratic