14 PARTIES APPROVED TO RUN IN LEGISLATIVE RACE

UNCLAS LUANDA 000564 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM AO SUBJECT: 14 PARTIES APPROVED TO RUN IN LEGISLATIVE RACE REF: LUANDA 0535 ¶1. (U) On July 23, Angola's Constitutional Court authorized ten political parties and four coalitions to run in the September 5 legislative elections. The final list of participating entities contains few surprises; nine of the ten parties are currently represented in Parliament. The four coalitions, representing tiny parties and splinter constituencies, are unlikely to play a large role in the campaign. ¶2. (U) To approve the final 14, the Court worked quickly to winnow 34 candidate lists from 24 political parties and 10 coalitions (reftel). Of the 20 that failed to make the cut, most did not present the required number of legal signatures or did not offer a full list of candidates for each of the 18 provincial circuits. Rejected parties now have 24 hours to appeal the Court's decision; the Court then has 24 hours to respond. Post doubts, however, that the appeals will sway the Court. ¶3. (SBU) The list contains few surprises, and pundits view the narrow list of 14 - in contrast to the 96 legal political parties on record before elections were called - as a welcome house-cleaning to remove miniscule and defunct parties. The lone surprise was the court's decision in favor of the candidate list presented by expelled PADEPA member Silva Cardoso over elected party President Carlos Leitao. The ruling hinges on a technicality - Leitao and PADEPA never officially repudiated Cardoso's "election" as party president following a conference he organized after his expulsion from the party and armed assault on the party's headquarters. Some opposition parties and members of civil society have called the Court's decision "highly suspicious," as Cardoso is the brother of a senior MPLA member. ¶4. (U) The list of approved parties/coalitions is as follows: ¶1. MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola), which currently holds 129 seats in the National Assembly. ¶2. UNITA (National Union for the Total Independance of Angola),which currently holds 70 seats in the National Assembly. ¶3. PRS (Social Renovation Party),which currently holds six seats in the National Assembly. ¶4. FNLA (National Front for the Liberation of Angola),which currently holds 5 seats in the National Assembly. ¶5. PLD (Liberal Democratic Party),which currently holds three seats in the National Assembly. ¶6. PRD (Party for Democratic Renovation),which currently holds one seat in the National Assembly. ¶7. PDP-ANA (National Alliance Party for Democratic Progress), which currently holds one seat in the National Assembly. ¶8. PAJOCA (Alliance of Youth, Workers, and Farmers Party of Angola),which currently holds one seat in the National Assembly. ¶9. FpD (Front for Democracy),which ran in the 1992 elections with the Democratic Aliance Coalition and won one seat. ¶10. PADEPA (Party for the Democratic Support and Progress of Angola),which was founded in 1996. ¶11. AD-Coligacao (Democratic Aliance Coalition),which currently holds one seat in the National Assembly. ¶12. ND (New Democratic Coalition),a new coalition. ¶13. PPE (Electoral Policy Platform),a new coalition. ¶14. FOFAC (Fraternal Angolan Forum Coalition),a new coalition. MOZENA