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PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHLU #0666/01 2351559
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221559Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY LUANDA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4985
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LUANDA 000666 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
USAID PASS TO MCNAIRN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM AO
SUBJECT: "THE ANGOLAN" ELECTORAL NEWS BULLETIN, VOL VI 
 
REF: LUANDA 0651 
 
¶1. (U) In This Issue: 
 
 - UNITA President Give Police Generally High Marks 
 
 - All Hands on Deck: MPLA and UNITA Recall Staff 
 
 - Catholic Church Scolds UNITA-Supporting Priest 
 
 - Beauty Queen Relinquishes Crown to Support the FpD 
 
 - High-Tech System Helps Voters Identify Polling Stations 
 
UNITA President Give Police Generally High Marks 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On Monday, August 18th, UNITA President Isaias 
Samakuva met with the Minister of Interior, Roberto Monterio 
"Ngongo," to discuss the recent violent incidents in Huambo 
and Bie provinces (reftel).  Following the closed-door 
meeting, Samakuva stated that Ngondo had assured him the 
police would take "adequate measures to ensure that the 
situation is controlled."  Samakuva praised the overall work 
of the police during the campaign period, stating that, with 
the exception of these recent incidents, overall the police 
have been "doing good work" and "acting where it is 
necessary." 
 
All Hands on Deck: MPLA and UNITA Recall Staff 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Both the ruling MPLA and main opposition party UNITA 
have summoned key internationally based staffers to Angola to 
bolster their respective campaigns.  For the MPLA this means 
key Ambassadors and the majority of their overseas press 
attaches; for UNITA the recall includes their representatives 
in key international capitals, including Washington.  In 
addition, both parties have beefed up staffing in key 
provinces by sending the skilled professionals that generally 
gather in Luanda and overseas to help manage grassroots 
provincial campaigns. 
 
Catholic Church Scolds UNITA-Supporting Priest 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶4. (U) During its Sunday August 17 slot of free television 
airtime, UNITA featured "Father Benedicto,8 a Catholic 
priest, who called for all "faithful" to vote for UNITA and 
called UNITA a "party with a good social program that will 
better the lot of the common person."  In response, on August 
18 the Catholic Church issued a communique disassociating the 
Church from Father Benedicto's statements and stating he will 
be subject to further sanctions from the Church.  Though the 
Catholic Church was quick to disassociate itself from Father 
Benedicto's public partisan display, opposition parties have 
quietly questioned the neutrality of Angola's various 
Christian denominations, as MPLA leaders have appeared at 
various churches during the campaign period to call for full 
participation in the September 5 race and a vote for the 
"right" party. 
 
¶5. (U) UNITA's decision to use the priest during one of its 
spots was controversial in view of electoral law regulations 
that can be interpreted as a ban on any kind of direct 
participation by any religious institution in election 
propaganda.  Insiders state that UNITA's decision to use the 
priest was in reaction to the MPLA's use of churches to 
campaign. 
 
Beauty Queen Relinquishes Crown to Support the FpD 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶6. An Angolan beauty queen was reportedly forced to 
relinquish her crown due to her open support for the Front 
for Democracy (FpD).  The woman, who at the start of the 
campaign was the reigning Ms. Kwanza Sul, was told by 
provincial pageant organizers to choose between her crown and 
her work as an announcer in FpD's nationally televised spots; 
she also received numerous phone calls and messages 
threatening her with physical violence.  According to one 
source who heard the messages, many carried the theme that 
"You belong to us (the MPLA), you weren't selected as Ms. 
Kwanza Sul to represent another party."  The woman has 
reportedly relinquished her crown and moved to Luanda to 
escape the threats and continue her work with FpD.  NOTE: A 
key patron for all "Ms" contests in Angola is First Lady Ana 
Paula dos Santos, and the organization is seen as staffed by 
MPLA party faithful.  END NOTE 
 
 
LUANDA 00000666  002 OF 002 
 
 
High-Tech System Helps Voters Identify Polling Stations 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶7. (U) The Inter-ministerial Commission for the Electoral 
Process (CIPE), which was responsible for voter registration, 
has launched a high-tech system to help voters identify their 
polling station in advance of election day.  Using 
information from their voter registration card, voters can 
call an automated help center, send an SMS, or use the CIPE's 
website (www.registoeleitoral.com) to confirm their polling 
station.  In urban centers, CIPE has also set up kiosks in 
airports, markets, churches, fuel stations, banks, local 
administrative offices, educational institutions and public 
utility offices at which voters can swipe their registration 
card.  Mission's locally-engaged staff have easily and 
successfully used all the high-tech systems to ascertain 
where to vote.  On election day, people with PDAs (personal 
digital assistant) loaded with the entire registration 
database will also be deployed throughout densely populated 
areas, to help potentially confused voters find their correct 
voting location. 
 
¶8. (SBU) CIPE has spared no expense at finding high-tech 
solutions to the confusion caused by a registration process 
that often failed to ask voters as they registered where they 
intended to vote.  The National Electoral Commission (CNE) 
forecasts that 85% of potential voters will vote close to 
their place of residence, and the others close to their place 
of work.  While, in theory, voters with voter registration 
cards in hand should be able to vote at any polling station, 
the CNE and CIPE are working to limit the use of provisional 
ballots as much as possible. 
MOZENA