The Angolan Armed Forces are in a “state of high combat readiness” from Sunday until 08:00 on September 20 to avoid incidents and “provide for the maintenance of defense and security” after the elections, especially in the province of Luanda. In statements to TSFjournalist and university professor Carlos Rosado de Carvalho explains what this state of maximum preparation of the Angolan military means.
“This state of preparation is aimed, above all, at the Armed Forces. The restrictions are of a military nature, there can be no military columns. People circulate normally in the city, there are no stop operations”, he explains, stressing that “People naturally avoid leaving the house, but this is a matter of common sense given the tense situation we are experiencing and the fear of declaring the election results”.
“Unfortunately it is not exactly a novelty, it is like that in all elections. Here there is a kind of rotten peace, people are all waiting for what the Constitutional Court will decide and then what will be the reaction of UNITA”, he maintains.
It is a decision that the Constitutional Court will reveal in the coming weeks. The fact that the Constitutional Court has accepted UNITA’s mandate means nothing more than that. We have to wait, but Carlos Rosado de Carvalho believes that the victory of the MPLA and João Lourenço is a “fait accompli”.
“It is from now on that the court will evaluate the merits and arguments of UNITA, therefore, that does not mean anything. As in Angola there is enormous suspicion about the institutions, because they are controlled by the MPLA, the simple admission of a request is sometimes understood as a victory, but that is something absolutely normal”, explains Carlos Rosado de Carvalho.
The doubts reside in “what will be the position of the Constitutional Court on the merits of UNITA’s request.”
“I think it is a fait accompli, I would be very surprised if the Constitutional Court gave UNITA the right and forced the CNE to compare the summary record that UNITA has and that of the CNE,” he considers.
UNITA does not accept the electoral results, saying that the MPLA, a party in power for more than 45 years, did not win the elections with an absolute majority.
Adalberto Costa Júnior’s match had a historic result, for example, in Luanda, and there are several internal and external voices calling for changes in Angola.
Source: TSF
