Opposition demand independent electoral commission

Angolan opposition parties warned the government on Thursday that they would not take part in preparations for elections unless an independent national electoral commission was created. Setting out their own calendar of events required before holding a national poll, UNITA and seven other parties insisted that it was still possible to hold a ballot next year, earlier than the September 2006 election date favoured by the ruling MPLA party. "The MPLA has said 2006, but we still maintain 2005 is possible. We have enough time to do all the things necessary to have elections by the end of 2005 or early in 2006," said UNITA spokesman Adalberto Costa Junior. "But it's not only the election date - we have other differences: we think a national commission should organise all the processes, but the MPLA proposes part of it be organised by the government," he said. Adding that the independent commission should include representatives from all parties, as well as civil society and the church, Costa Junior said such an independent body was "absolutely central" to a transparent, free and fair electoral process. "Opposition parties will not participate in the electoral preparations without an independent commission," he said on the sidelines of a news conference to present the timetable. The government has said it needs to complete several tasks, including revamping the constitution and building an electoral register, before a poll takes place. The opposition parties will present their calendar to the government at the end of this month, in which they recommend creating an electoral legislative package within four months and forming an independent electoral commission within five months. "The proposed electoral timetable presented today contains the tasks necessary to secure the right of citizens to elect their representatives in an electoral process of maximum transparency," the parties said in a statement. The opposition groups also argued that creating a new constitution was not essential to elections. "We've passed the land law, the petroleum law with this old constitution. Why do we need a new one for elections?" asked Luis Fernandes do Nascimento, secretary general of the FpD (Frente para a Democracia) party. "We will continue to discuss the new text ... but it would be possible to hold elections under the current constitution," Costa Junior agreed. The last general election was held in 1992, but was rejected by the then rebel movement, UNITA, which returned to war against the ruling MPLA. The 27-year civil conflict finally ended in April 2002.