Sociological research on jehovah's witnesses' abstention in the 2017 general elections in angola

Abstract

We intend, with the present text, to reflect on the abstention of Jehovah's Witnesses in the 2017 general elections, in Angola. The text seeks to dive, in a deep way, in order to understand the behaviour of voters (Jehovah's Witnesses) who chose to abstain and remain on the margins of the Angolan democratic system, through non-participation in processes that concern the right to citizenship. We used as methodological procedures, namely, the qualitative method, the techniques of participant observation and in-depth interviewing. In turn, as of the main reasons for the abstention of Jehovah's Witnesses in the 2017 General Elections in Angola, the results of the study point to two factors. The first factor suggests that it is the lack of social interaction between the Jehovah's Witnesses Association faithful and the competing political parties and/or electoral coalition, and the second suggests that it is the non-party identity on the part of the Jehovah's Witnesses Association faithful. On the other hand, the text is still a simple contribution to future research in the areas of Sociology of Religion and Political Sociology. Therefore, it is further understood that the abstention of Jehovah's Witnesses in the 2017 General Elections, in Angola, does not clash with Law no. 12/ 19 on (Freedom of Religion and Worship), because it does not oblige its faithful to abstain in the 2017 General Elections, in Angola.