Angolan Parliament elects four UNITA members to Electoral Commission

The Angolan National Assembly has approved the election of four members from the opposition party UNITA to the National Electoral Commission (CNE). The resolution passed during an extraordinary plenary meeting with 162 votes in favor and no votes against or abstentions.

The newly appointed members include William Tonet, Domingos Inácio Francisco (whose mandate is being renewed), António José Ventura, and Augusto Samuel. The appointment of these representatives ends a deadlock lasting over a year, during which UNITA had refused to nominate members in protest against a resolution defining the CNE's composition.

UNITA had previously challenged the seat distribution in the Constitutional Court, labeling it “illegal,” but the court rejected their claim. Under the current composition, the ruling MPLA holds nine seats on the commission, UNITA holds four, and other parliamentary parties hold one seat each.