Luanda – Angola’s President João Lourenço defended the conclusion and approval of laws on municipal process by National Assembly (Angolan Parliament) before he can announce a date for the municipal elections in the country.
“I cannot call municipal elections without it being based on the law,” he emphasized”.
João Lourenço statement was made public in a joint interview of Lusa News Agency and the Portuguese newspaper Expresso released on Friday.
The Head of State highlighted the need to create material, financial and organizational capabilities to ensure that municipal elections take place smoothly, and for this reason it is “risky to talk about dates”.
Regarding openness to dialogue with other political parties, João Lourenço said that he has always been available to talk on different subjects with people and organizations, including the opposition parties
The president mentioned that few days after the 2022 election he had a meeting with UNITA leader, Adalberto da Costa Júnior at the Presidential Palace, at his request.
The Head of State emphasised that despite this fact, “it is true that one does not have to accept all suggestion or requests, such as what is happening on municipal power, where political parties have different views. Some opposition parties defend the holding of simultaneous municipal elections in 164 municipalities and the ruling party says that it is unrealistic doing so.
He also argued that for a country with the characteristics of Angola, which has never had autarchies, having them simultaneously throughout the territory is unrealistic, which is the main point of contention.
President João Lourenço also expressed his disagreement with the statements that there is little freedom of demonstration in Angola and that citizenship is in question.
From his point of view, “there are even excesses in the exercise of this freedom of expression” since in the country there are street demonstrations practically every week and the police only reacts in extreme behavioural circumstances.
The Head of State said that there have been peaceful demonstrations without any police intervention, and he does not understand why when the police in large democracies act against violent protesters they are not reported in the same way.
He argued that, in Angola, “if there is a police charge, they don't call it a police charge, they call it another, uglier name. Nobody wants to treat their own citizens badly. Those who demonstrate are our citizens, they are our children, they are our brothers and the police are there in the demonstration precisely to protect them”.
In relation to some manifestations of discontent in the country by certain social or socio-professional classes, he said that these rights are contemplated in the Constitution and in the Law.
“Democracy is like that, isn't that how you say it? And if it were the other way around, and if the regime did not allow demonstrations, what would they say? If it was like in the past? Was it better as it was before?” he asked.
When questioned about the process of national reconciliation, in relation to the victims of the conflicts, in relation to which some family members try to question the process of identifying the remains, João Lourenço stated that “when bodies are exhumed and the remains are submitted to DNA tests is precisely to confirm whose remains are, but such confirmation may or may not work.
So there will definitely be cases where certain remains are thought to be either the family A or the family B, and the examination turns out not to be, which is absolutely normal. Now, one cannot come to say that it was the Government's intention to deceive the families”, he concluded.
