MPLA proposes inclusive dialogue mechanism and UNITA responds with municipal package

2023-04-28 10:44:53

The parliamentary group of UNITA, the largest opposition party in Angola, challenged on Thursday (27.04) the MPLA, in power, to schedule in the next 30 days the discussion of the municipal package for the implementation of local authorities.

The proposal was expressed by the leader of UNITA’s parliamentary group, Liberty Chiaka, at a press conference to present the party’s position in view of the public invitation for dialogue made by the MPLA parliamentary group.

According to Liberty Chiaka, a week ago the leader of the MPLA bench invited Angolans to reflect on the need to institutionalize mechanisms for inclusive dialogue at the various levels and segments of national life, not only in relation to the functioning of institutions, but also, above all , in the informal circuits for capturing the popular will and popular perception of the various social, economic, political and cultural phenomena that form the national environment of Angolans.

Liberty Chiaka stressed that the invitation contains aspects that they consider to be “very positive” and others that “enclose some misunderstandings that require a public position by the UNITA parliamentary group”.

“Finally, the MPLA decided to associate itself with the genuine desire of the majority of Angolans”, said the parliamentary leader, considering that “the escape from dialogue had an impact on the setback of the democratic rule of law”, namely the closure of the bilateral mechanism for political consultation between the Government and UNITA after the 2008 elections.

According to Liberty Chiaka, UNITA has always defended dialogue and expressed availability, “unlike the MPLA, which has always evaded and shielded itself in the qualified majority and in this case in the absolute majority”.

Liberty Chiaka said that the UNITA parliamentary group identified in the MPLA parliamentary group’s invitation three positive elements for building the future, namely the implicit recognition that the process of deepening democracy in the country had been abandoned and needs to be resumed.

The holding of the first municipal elections had been scheduled for 2020, but was postponed, without a new date, pending the finalization of the approval of the municipal legislative package.