Angolan opposition parties have announced a united front to monitor the August General Election.

“The opposition parties are working out ideas and in a few days we will sit down to shape the strategies for the common front,” said Mr Lindo Bernardo Tito, of the broad convergence for the salvation of Angola (CASA-CE).

CASA-CE emerged third in the last General Election in 2012.

Several civil society groups have also expressed their wish to work with the united opposition to ensure a credible poll.

An advantage

Human rights activist and university lecturer, Mr Domingos da Cruz, said they would on Friday unveil an online application to help people report any electoral irregularities.

“The fact that people will record all they observe in the electoral process in a safe way and send it anonymously, is an advantage,” Mr da Cruz added.

The Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita) deputy Secretary-General, Mr Rafael Massanga Savimbi, said his party would no longer do a lone monitoring as happened in the last two elections.

Party is ready

“Everybody heard our President (Isaias) Samakuva saying our party is ready not only to monitor, but also to win the elections,” VOA Radio quoted Mr Savimbi saying.

The August poll will be the third since the end of the Angolan civil war in 2002.

MPLA won elections in 1992, 2008 and 2012 with a parliamentary majority.

The embassies

The ruling party in 2012 secured 74 per cent of the vote against Unita’s 18 per cent.

There were no international observers for the elections.

None of the embassies represented in Luanda secured accreditation to monitor the elections.

Source: www.africareview.com