The CNE spokesman, speaking at the end of the CNE plenary meeting, which met extraordinarily to analyse and deliberate on a letter from the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MAT) requesting a statement regarding the start of activities for in-person voter registration and updating of residence.
According to Lucas Quilundo, the plenary agreed favorably to the period of the registration update, which begins in the second fortnight of September, however, taking into account the rainy season, it was recommended to the MAT that this aspect be taken into account.
"Considering that it will be developed in the municipal administrations, where the One Stop Shop for Public Attendance (BUAP) will be installed, that this be taken into consideration so that it can be done with the least possible constraints," he mentioned.
The CNE's plenary also recommended that this process be accompanied by a broad civic education campaign for voters, so that the citizens may come to the registration posts en masse, and that all available means should be used for the widest dissemination of the activity.
The CNE would have to use all available means to publicize the activity. "On the other hand, with the beginning of these activities, the in-person voter registration creates the need for the CNE to start supervising the process itself, as a legal imperative," he said.
The CNE's supervision of the entire process "is not a new activity," Quilundo said, noting that the electoral body has already approved a plan for the operationalization of the supervision of the face-to-face voter registration.
"These measures have been announced, and within the framework of these measures the way in which this process will take place will be implemented and guidelines will be transmitted to the local bodies," said the spokesman, adding that the approval by the President of the Republic of an additional credit to the CNE budget to cover the expenses of the supervision of the face-to-face voter registration and the pre-mapping of polling stations was also made public in this regard.
The CNE commissioner pointed out that it is from the voter registration data that the mapping of polling stations is drawn up, that is, the places where polling stations will be set up, as well as extracted the lists of voting citizens, posted 30 days before the elections.
"[They] also serve as a source for the preparation of the voter registers, which are an indispensable tool as a means of working for the polling stations," he stressed.
As for voter registration abroad, Lucas Quilundo said it will take place during the same period and will be done in the manner that will be established in the legislation being debated in the National Assembly.
Questioned about how CNE is preparing itself in relation to the new political and administrative division of the country, under discussion in the country, Lucas Quilundo considered it premature to make any comment.
"The new political and administrative division is still an embryonic process, it is in the phase of consultation, it is not yet something that is definitive, so it would be premature for us to make any pronouncements about it, let the process be concluded and then the CNE will be able to pronounce itself in due time", he stressed.
When asked to comment on the suspicions raised by opposition parties about the functioning of the CNE and the actions of the president of the electoral body, Manuel Pereira da Silva "Manico," Lucas Quilundo declined to comment, reaffirming that "these suspicions have no reason to be, because the National Electoral Commission, as determined by law, carries out its work solely and exclusively in respect of the law, the Constitution, and the other regulations that are approved by the plenary, which has a heterogeneous composition".
"They have no reason to be and it is not our custom, at the CNE, to contradict political statements by political leaders," he stressed.
As for the episode that occurred Tuesday at the CNE, at the end of the meeting between the president of the CNE and the Minister of Territorial Administration and State Reform, Marcy Lopes, to address aspects related to the Voter Registration Law, in which the spokesperson was prevented from making statements to the press, Lucas Quilundo explained Wednesday that the situation was due to agenda issues.
The Angolan electoral body is currently undergoing a period of regional training at the SADC [Southern African Development Community] level for its members as part of a project with the Forum of Electoral Commissions of the SADC countries and the support of the European Centre for Electoral Studies.
The CNE spokesman said that the national election commissions of Mozambique and Angola are involved in these actions.
"And I, among other tasks at CNE, also have the responsibility of supervising the group that accompanies the direction of training and electoral civic education," he explained, stressing that "due to a miscommunication" he had started the interview, which he had to "abruptly" interrupt.
"As soon as we started the interview, due to this other commitment we had to leave because, as coordinator of this project, we had to proceed, on behalf of the CNE, to close this cycle of training, which was taking place in another CNE dependency by virtual means," he said.
"We sincerely apologise for the incident and renew our commitment", added Quilundo, stressing that the CNE sees the media "as precious partners" and would "like to continue to maintain cordial relations and good collaboration with this segment of society".
