Angola kicks off election campaigns, free airtime offered each party

Election campaigning in Angola officially started on Sunday, July 23, 2017 and the six contesting parties in the August 23 elections have hit the ground running to convince the electorates to vote for them.

The state media has offered 10 minutes free airtime for each party to campaign on the state-run radio station RNA, and five minutes to campaign on state-run Televisão Pública de Angola (TPA) television each day.

The political parties include the ruling MPLA led by Joao Lourenco, main opposition UNITA led by Isaias Samakuva, FNLA, PRS, APN and the coalition CASA-CE party.

The MPLA’s Joao Lourenco started his campaign on Sunday via a radio broadcast calling on the people to renew his party’s mandate to implement the plans they have for the country’s development, the Angolan news agency Angop reported.

He added that his party had done more right than wrong and they are abiding by their new motto of “improving what is right and correcting what is wrong”.

The main opposition UNITA started its campaign in the northern province of Cabinda where it unveiled its manifesto that aims to improve the country.

Among their priorities is to offer unconditional assistance to former rebels and people with disabilities, Angop reported.

UNITA’s deputy president Raul Danda presented its parliamentary candidates to the supporters in Cabinda.

Campaigning ends on August 21.