More than half of the Angolan population has no BI – UNITA

Mais of half of the 36 million inhabitants of Angola do not have Identity Card (BI), today denounced UNITA, the main opposition party, realizing that only 17 million Angolans have identification document.

“Twenty-five years after the peace gained because only 17 million Angolans have Identity Cards,” Álvaro Chikwamanga Daniel, vice president of the party, questioned today.

The National Union for Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) today presented, at a press conference in Luanda, the view on the ongoing Official Electoral Registry in the country and the Civil Registry.

Without the Identity Card, citizens cannot register elections and are therefore prevented from voting.

For UNITA, Angolans need to know that the BI “is free on the first issue and can cost 450 kwanzas [0.44 euros] in reissue by loss or loss”.

“ Citizens have to have this information and reject every act of unlawful collection of the registration ", warned the vice president of the party, referring that sometimes citizens claim that the ID is expensive, but it is free and only costs if it is reissued.

He also said that, even with no documents, Angolans can apply for the identification document with the parents' certificate or with suitable witnesses.

UNITA points out that alongside the BUAP, the single public service counters for the electoral registry are also brigades of the Civil Registry to deal with the process.

The Government of Angola announced that from February will expand the scope of mobile civil registration brigades.

This information was transmitted to a UNITA delegation that was received at a hearing in the Ministries of Justice and Human Rights and Territory Administration.

Álvaro Chikwamanga Daniel said it was also transmitted to him that “at the end of November the Ministry of Justice will make a communication on the Civil Registry process.”.

The Ministry also reported, said, that “there are about 90 thousand tickets” issued waiting to be lifted by the holders.

“ We consider it a very small number if we look at the universe of this country,” said UNITA Vice President.

The party also stated that the government ensured that all 19 provinces of Angola are able to issue the BI.

“ The question is then why so many people without ID cards. There is no lack of material, financial and human resources, so what is missing for all adult people to have BI” questioned.

According to the Vice President, the UNITA delegation delivered a memorandum to each minister and documentary evidence of the complaints received and in which “a set of risks” is identified for the ongoing electoral registration process, with a view to the general elections next year in Angola.

Among the risks mentioned are “the integrity of the database of the larger citizens and the credibility of the electoral registration process, the unequal treatment of citizens, electoral exclusion, induction of abstention, administrative and statistical opacity of the process”, as well as “the erosion of public trust”.

UNITA has also left some proposals, namely the strengthening of the capacity of service for the civil registry, opening more shops and taking services to areas with greater difficulty in transport and access.

The proposals also include improving the communication to citizens on available services, the regular and permanent dissemination of the results of civil and electoral records, the identification of agents, among others.

The Angolan Government recently announced that more than five million citizens have already updated the electoral register, between 16 million planned.

UNITA promises to continue to monitor the process and calls on citizens to address the BUAP in a massive manner.