Voter registration of Angolans in Macau launched

"I am sure that we will receive requests", said Eduardo Velasco Galiano to Lusa, noting that the 'online' platform for the official electoral registration, which runs until 31 March, was only launched on Monday.

The Official Electoral Registration, aimed at citizens over 18 years of age, began in Angola and extended to the rest of the world on Monday, with the formal opening ceremony taking place in Cape Town, South Africa.

According to Eduardo Velasco Galiano, there are 44 Angolan citizens in Macau, including 10 university students with a grant from the Macau Foundation, consulate employees and family members, of which only 16 are registered at the consulate.

"Everything will depend on the conscience of each one", says the diplomat.

Even so, he stresses that Angolans in Macau "talk about Angola, some have family in the country, are attentive and are aware of what is going on".

Eduardo Velasco Galiano says that Angolans in Macau followed with apprehension the stoppage of taxi drivers in the capital, Luanda, last week, which was marked by acts of vandalism.

"The concern is general because after all we are talking about things that have never been seen in the past", says Eduardo Velasco Galiano. "Outbreaks of discontent concern everyone with common sense," he adds.

The vote by Angolans in the diaspora is the result of a promise that President João Lourenço made two years ago.

Data from the Angolan Ministry of Territory Administration indicate that there are 400,000 Angolans spread across 57 countries, with the support of 76 diplomatic missions. In Portugal, around 80 thousand Angolans are registered.

The Angolan ambassador to Portugal, Carlos Alberto Fonseca, estimated on Monday that around 30,000 citizens of voting age would register at the consulate in Lisbon and that 3,000 would do so at the consulate in Porto.