The president of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace of CEAST, Gabriel Mbilingi, said that the CNE had, on Wednesday, invited the president of CEAST for the accreditation of 36 observers in these fifth general elections in Angola, this being the third time that will participate in this capacity after 2012 and 2017.
The Archbishop of Lubango, who was speaking this Thursday at a press conference at the end of the II Annual Assembly of Catholic Bishops, which took place in Luanda, began by clarifying the announcement made Monday by the CNE that there was the alleged request for accreditation for electoral observation by the Angolan Electoral Observatory (Obea) was rejected for "legal inexistence".
According to Gabriel Mbiligi, Obea is a platform for internal consultation of various non-governmental organizations, civil society, churches, including the Catholic Church, which participate in the electoral civic education mission.
In turn, CEAST spokesman Belmiro Tchissengueti highlighted that there was a 100 percent increase compared to the two previous elections, that is, in 2012 and 2017, years in which there were only 18 observers.
"We are not the ones who limit the number, we received the invitation and the number is made available from the CNE within the limit of 2000 national and international observers, and within this limit are many organizations and our church has given this number of 36, it is not up to us impose on us, the number is the law that limits", he stressed.
Belmiro Tchissengueti underlined that with that number, the observers will do the service possible.
