Politics

Angolan main opposition party seeks annulment of August 24 election

Published

2 years ago

September 2, 2022

Angola’s main opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), has called for annulment of the August 24 election which the ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), was declared winner by the electoral commission.

The former rebel group filed a case with the constitutional court on Thursday seeking the annulment of election citing several cases of infractions and electoral malpractices.

The election which was the closest in the history of the country since its independence from Portugal in 1975, saw the ex-Marxist MPLA which has been in power for over five decades now, win by a slight margin of 51% while its longtime opponent and former civil war enemy, UNITA, notching 44%, its best result ever.

The election result also gave President Joao Lourenco a second term in office after he took over from the late Jose Dos Santos in 2017.

Since the release of the election result, UNITA has repeatedly said it would not recognise the results of the vote, citing discrepancies between the commission’s count and the party’s own tally.

“The MPLA did not win the election… we have been in peace for 20 years, and we now need to embrace a true democratic rule of law,” UNITA leader and Presidential candidate, Adalberto Costa Junior, said on Thursday in an address to the nation.

Costa Junior said he expected the constitutional court and the commission to do their jobs by comparing their vote count with the party’s tally, which has yet to be fully released.

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.