Angola: Catholic bishops want transparent elections

Published: 2008-08-26

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Years of violence after Angola's last elections in 1992 have left some Angolans concerned about the Sept. 5-6 elections, which observers say could be a milestone in the country's recovery from nearly 30 years of civil war. The elections were to be the first since the end of the 27-year civil war in 2002. More than 5,000 candidates were to contest 220 seats in the National Assembly. Recent developments, however, call into question whether the environment for the voting will be free and fair, several Angolan church officials told Catholic News Service in telephone interviews. Father Jose Imbamba, director of communications for the bishops' conference of Angola and Sao Tome, told CNS the church knows people are apprehensive about the elections "and we cannot deny that; the experience of 1992 was hard and left a mark on a lot of people. But the church challenges the citizens to vote without fear and to give an answer to the politicians that they do not want war."

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