Angola may extend the period for registering voters for its first elections in over a decade, fuelling concerns among some political observers that the ballot in the oil-rich nation could be delayed further.
An estimated 7,5-million Angolans are being registered for elections next year and in 2009, seen as an important democratic test for a country that is now sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest oil producer after Nigeria.
But so far just four million names have made it onto the electoral roll with the registration period scheduled to wind up in mid-June.
”Accessing certain areas is hard — in the last few months there’s been a lot of rain, which has made it difficult. And there’s still a lot of work to do,” Luis de Assuncao Pedro da Moti Liz, deputy minister for territorial administration, told Reuters.
”A lot of people are asking for the time period for registration to be extended. I personally believe it will be extended, although nothing has yet been decided officially.”
Angola is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in 2008 and a presidential vote in 2009, its first since a contested 1992 presidential ballot was aborted after a first round and civil war resumed.
Moti Luiz said he believed the registration process could definitely be concluded by November as four-wheel drives and helicopters are enlisted to reach more remote areas.
”I believe it is a realistic timeframe. We have time this year to complete voter registration; I don’t believe next year is unrealistic, I don’t think the electoral calendar is in danger,” he added.
But the ruling Movement for the Popular Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which has ruled since independence from Portugal in 1975, has delayed elections several times in the past, citing the poor state of infrastructure damaged during a 27-year civil war.
While most political observers agree there is still sufficient time to prepare for a vote in 2008, some believe the government could be laying the groundwork before announcing further delays.
”They are hiding behind the rains. Things have been going slower than they should and slower than expected,” said one Luanda-based observer.
”This situation now puts into question the election date. Elections could definitely still happen next year but they need to show some real intent and determination,” the observer added.
Other stumbling blocks include a lack of civic education in remote areas, difficulties in transporting high-tech equipment and a lack of registration officials on the ground.
The country’s main opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita), has accused President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and his government of extending the election timeline for political reasons.
Unita, which fought against the government during the civil war that killed more than one million Angolans, also has accused the MPLA of waging a low-level intimidation campaign against opposition activists around the country. It says the government must set a date for elections urgently.
”Social tensions are mounting. I don’t know what that can lead to. I’m sure if we have a date for elections, that can help to diffuse these expectations. People want change,” Alcides Sakala, president of Unita’s parliamentary group, told Reuters. — Reuters