The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) called a press conference this Tuesday to clarify the reasons that led to the abandonment of the parliamentary meeting where the composition of the National Electoral Commission (CNE) was to be discussed and the Joint Opinion and the Draft Resolution that establish the new composition of the CNE were to be voted on, the terms of which they considered "attacks" the Constitution and the law, as well as UNITA itself.
The leader of the UNITA parliamentary group, Liberty Chiaka, explained, in the meeting with journalists, how the number of members of the CNE proposed by the parties is determined in accordance with the composition of the current parliament, in compliance with respect for parliamentary minorities, but stressed that "the law is not definitive" as to how this principle should be implemented.
"The MPLA [Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola] parliamentary group is trying to take advantage of [this lack of clarity], using its free will to apply the principle of direct proportionality and consider the other forces as a single body to those it considers opposition or minorities," she said.
For Liberty Chiaka, respect for the minority does not mean taking away the MPLA's percentage and distributing what is left among the others, and it does not mean that everyone receives mandates in this redistribution, he stressed.
According to UNITA, only scientific and legal criteria demonstrated in practice can be applied in this distribution and "not free will rooted in the will and abusive interpretation of the hegemonic culture," accusing the MPLA of having previously wanted to usurp seats that belonged to UNITA.
The parliamentary leader, who presented tables with the distribution of seats using methodologies such as the d'Hondt method to justify his arguments, said that the presidents of the parliamentary groups came to the conclusion that the seats would be distributed among the MPLA (9), UNITA (5), a mixed parliamentary group, including the Social Renewal Party (PRS) and the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) (1), and the Humanist Party (PHA) (1).
However, in June, the PRS and FNLA announced the dissolution of the Mixed Parliamentary Group "and, in the guise of parliamentary representations, the PRS, FNLA and PHA each submitted their proposal defending the format MPLA (9) + UNITA (4) + PRS (1) + FNLA (1) + PHA (1), however, without legal basis or demonstrating the criteria based on doctrine, which is obviously not accepted", he added.
For UNITA, "there is no justification for one of the competitors to seek to continue to have hegemony in a body that arbitrates the game, where everyone should have equal treatment in all circumstances".
The party advocates a reform in the composition of the CNE "that foresees not only parity, but also an impartial president with no party ties and participation in civil society", stressing that Chiaka is "no secret that the MPLA is the only institution/organization in Angola that is satisfied with the laws of the electoral package, because it is the main beneficiary".
UNITA, meanwhile, sent a request to the President of the National Assembly to dismiss the dissolution of the Mixed Parliamentary Group (PRS-FNLA), for legal reasons, and said that it was surprised during last week's special session with "a decision already made" for the final vote on the Draft Resolution in the plenary session on October 31.
Furthermore, while they were waiting for the moment of consultation, UNITA was "surprised by the rejection of the Request for the Dissolution of the Joint Parliamentary Group and by the proposal of the Opinion and the Draft Resolution that establishes the new composition" of the CNE, which was only delivered to them less than 24 hours before the session "upon insistent request".
For the opposition party, the country "is facing a political sham", stressing that, "mathematically, the National Assembly is derived from the election results, it cannot serve as yet another function to be derived to distribute mandates to other bodies with the same dignity, but with different functions".
