By Enyichukwu Enemanna
President João Lourenço will be inaugurated for a second term in office as President of Angola on September 15, after a constitutional court on Thursday affirmed his victory at the poll as president-elect, dismissing suit for annulment brought by the opposition National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, UNITA.
The court ruled that the evidence brought before it “does not allow to put in question” the advantage of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, MPLA, declared by the National Electoral Commission.
Adalberto Costa Júnior, the presidential candidate of UNITA and leader of the main opposition party had challenged the the results of the election in which he polled 7 per cent less the votes allocated to Lourenço.
The MPLA scored 51% of the vote, leaving UNITA which came second with 43%.
UNITA at the poll got 90 MPs, double the seats they won in 2017 while MPLA is credited with 124 parliamentary seats.
Five opposition parties, including UNITA, said in a statement on Thursday that they were considering organising “peaceful” demonstrations to contest the election result.
They also said they reserved “the right to bring the dispute before other bodies”.
Four of the 16 members of the electoral commission did not sign the final election results, expressing doubts about the electoral process.
Foreign observers had expressed “concerns” about the electoral lists in particular.
The presidency has announced that Lourenço will be sworn in September 15.
