Cremildo Paca, a jurist and member of the CNE, recalled that, as a result of the 2021 constitutional review that enshrines, for the first time, this possibility, Angolan citizens residing abroad will be able to vote, provided they have updated their electoral registration.
The official considered, on the sidelines of the International Seminar on Early Voting and Voting Abroad, that this "constitutional and citizenship imperative" is a great "achievement" of the Angolan democratic process, allowing all those who have turned 18 on the 24th of August.
Regarding the low number of registered voters abroad – around 30,000 when initial forecasts pointed to 450,000 – he pointed out “several constraints” that explain the small number, including the fact that the update was made during the Covid period. -19, with mobility difficulties.
On the other hand, and because it was done for the first time, "some Angolans did not have the documents" and others updated them after the process was concluded.
The expert stressed that the expectation is that the process "goes smoothly" and that it allows Angolans in the diaspora to vote to choose their representatives, believing that the adhesion will be significant: "I think so, that's why they made the update (of the register)" he said, appealing to everyone to participate.
Asked about the participation of foreign observers, namely Europeans, in the general elections scheduled for 24 August, Cremildo Paca stressed that Angolan law allows electoral observation.
"Within the deadlines established by law, organizations interested in carrying out electoral observation must communicate their intention to the CNE. There is no prohibition against any entity, whether the European Union or any other foreign or regional entity. What must be done is to communicate intention within the time limits set by law", he said.
The event will serve to exchange experiences between officials from Angola, Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique and Cape Verde, within the scope of the Network of Jurisdictional Bodies and Electoral Administration of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (ROJAE-CPLP).
