UNITA says only 17 million Angolans have an identity card
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Jornal F8
UNITA, Angola’s main opposition party, says only 17 million of the country’s 36 million inhabitants hold an identity card. Its vice-president Álvaro Chikwamanga Daniel said so in Luanda, stressing that without this document citizens cannot register on the electoral rolls or vote. He recalls that the first issue is free and that reissuing costs 450 kwanzas.
More than half of Angola’s 36 million inhabitants do not have an identity card, UNITA, the main opposition party, said on Wednesday. According to the party, only 17 million Angolans hold this document, which is essential for registering on the electoral rolls and therefore for voting. Its vice-president, Álvaro Chikwamanga Daniel, asked at a press conference in Luanda why so few Angolans have a card twenty-five years after the peace.
The official recalled that the card is free on first issue and costs 450 kwanzas (0.44 euros) if reissued after loss. He urges citizens to reject any illicit demand for payment. Those without papers can apply for them using their parents' birth certificate or with witnesses.
A UNITA delegation was received at the ministries of Justice and of Territorial Administration. The government told it that from February, mobile civil registration units will be expanded. The Ministry of Justice is due to make a statement on civil registration at the end of November. It counts around 90,000 issued cards awaiting collection, a figure that Mr Daniel considers very low given the size of the population.
This stance follows UNITA’s criticisms of the flaws in electoral registration, made on 22 October.
