Debate over the electoral process hotting up

As Angola gears up for its first national election in more than a decade, parliament has begun the long process of reforming the electoral laws. With the first ballot since 1992 due to be held next year, 2005 is seen as key to electoral preparations, with arguments over voter registration, civil disarmament and the role of a national electoral commission taking centre stage. "We have presented our proposals, and the opposition [have presented] theirs - this will be the first time parliament will start debating these; then individual parliamentary commissions will start discussions," a spokesman for the ruling MPLA party, Kwata Kanawa, told IRIN. One western diplomat noted: "This is another important landmark in Angola's democracy, but there is a long and sometimes difficult road ahead, with a lot of work still to be done ... It will take many months of hard work to prepare for elections." When Angola held its last ballot it was against the backdrop of a shaky UN-monitored peace process still embroiled in civil war. Although the poll was deemed generally free and fair by the international community, the then rebel group - now opposition party, UNITA - contested the results and returned to war against the MPLA. This time, everyone is eager to see a smooth, fair and peaceful process. Voter registration is a vital issue and will be a mammoth task. With large numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons, who fled their homes during 27 years of brutal conflict, now returning home, many of the country's 13 million people have no identity documents. "There are going to be very serious logistical difficulties involved in registering people to vote: ensuring there is no double registration, and making sure people understand their rights as electors," said Chris Melville, an analyst from the political think-tank, Global Insight. RIFTS With more than a year to go before the country goes to the polls, rifts are already appearing, and the chief bone of contention is the creation and mandate of the proposed electoral commission. Opposition parties and civil society groups say the commission should be independent and oversee all stages of the process, including voter registration. "But the MPLA wants it [voter registration] to be carried out by the government, and a national electoral commission set up before the elections, [but] after the process of preparation has been completed," complained Adalberto da Costa, UNITA's information secretary. The MPLA has promised to listen to the concerns of other political parties, but opposition groups fear it will use its substantial majority in parliament to push through its own agenda. "The electoral laws are of extraordinary importance; they are absolutely central. But presently it is a completely unbalanced game, because the rules are only defined by the MPLA, which is not prepared to debate the rules," Da Costa said. MPLA spokesman Kanawa said the party would like to reach a consensus with the opposition, but stressed that it was unwilling to budge on the issue of voter registration. "We are working within the context of what is viable," he explained. "Voter registration in Angola, like anywhere else in the world, is the government's responsibility ... We'll listen to their point of view, but we continue to maintain that voter registration is the government's task." There are lingering fears that the registration process may not be fair and transparent. Opposition groups and civil society argue that one way of ensuring transparency would be to ensure external observation in the preparation period, and not only during campaigning, which usually kicks off around a month ahead of the ballot. "It's more typical for local observers to start observing at voter registration - that's a good time to start," said the head of one pro-democracy NGO. The MPLA has reportedly argued that all monitors should be organisations recognised by the government, but Carlos Sucami, coordinator of the Rede Eleitoral, a coalition of groups fighting for a free and fair electoral process, has urged the authorities not to alienate community-based groups. "The law governing electoral observation should make room for the participation of informal groups and civil society organisations, as well as those that have a legal personality," he said in a statement. Another widespread fear is that, as elections approach and the atmosphere in Angola becomes more politically charged, conflict could increase among a civilian population that still holds a large number of weapons. Critics say the government is not doing enough to encourage civilians to give up their guns, which could endanger the entire electoral process. "Disarmament of the civilian population is absolutely central - it is essential to guaranteeing the stability of the process," said UNITA's Da Costa. CLOSE INTERNATIONAL EYE Although the international community has thus far taken a back seat, it is eyeing the run-up to elections very closely. "We will be watching, but we will not make comments from the sidelines as if we were watching a football match. We will look at how Angola, as a member of SADC (Southern African Development Community), puts into practice the SADC principles of how to conduct democratic elections," said the western diplomat. So much time has elapsed since the last general elections, and Angolans are so eager to have their say, that analysts believe the ballot itself will be more important than the quality of the process. "We have to recognise that any elections in 2006 are likely to be subject to deficiencies and will not meet international standards of transparency and fairness," said Melville. "But, for states undergoing difficult transitions to democracy, such deficiencies will attract less criticism."