Costa Júnior says MPLA is not prepared to face UNITA and challenges for debate

On Thursday, President João Lourenço told a press conference that UNITA is not prepared to face the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in the general elections to be held in August this year, looking to the fact that it intends to join forces up to other political parties.

According to Adalberto Costa Júnior, the MPLA in confronting UNITA "violates the laws and uses public institutions, the public media bodies, [which] provide illegal services to the ruling party as crutches."

"The MPLA is not prepared to run loyally and on equal terms in the electoral campaign and that is why it hides behind institutions and denies democracy and plurality," said Adalberto Costa Júnior, advising to follow the example of Portugal, which will have elections this month, with 30 debates, among all the candidates, scheduled.

"Will they continue to evade debate? Will they continue to disrespect the citizen? Will they continue to hide behind public institutions and use the courts as instruments of party competition? If you are really ready and not afraid, embrace the democratic game. Here I reaffirm my availability", stressed the UNITA president.

Costa Júnior stressed that there are only a few months to go before the end of a five-year governance cycle, "which began with great expectations and countless promises".

"A mandate that followed a long period of government of President José Eduardo dos Santos, to whom they painted with the worst colors and to whom they directed the worst balance sheets", citing promises of the current cycle of governance, namely the creation of 500 thousand jobs for young people, which have not been met.

The UNITA leader criticized the mixture of moments, in which the head of State speaks and acts as President of the Republic at the same time as President of the MPLA.

"Yesterday the confusion of the different institutions was total! The interview was with the President of the Republic and the President talks about his competitors in the campaign, the President who should represent us all takes off his clothes as the highest magistrate in the nation and treats party leaders and the youth of his country without respect," he said.

According to Adalberto Costa Júnior, "UNITA is prepared and ready to govern Angola with all, for the good of all", announced the opportune presentation of a national emergency program, based on seven axes, including the fight against hunger and to poverty, restructuring of the economy, pluralism in the media, among others.
Adalberto Costa Júnior underlined that 2022 "will be a year with many difficulties", however that of "building the future".

"A year of many certainties. Certainty that we will win, certain that Angolans will be together in this change, certain that we will return to having the truth and defeating the lie", he stressed, promising to hold local elections "in an immediate period" if he wins the elections.

"The citizen is the one who decides his future. It is not the party that governs. Nor are the other parties. The power to decide is yours. It belongs to the people and today the people have grown and therefore the manipulation of the public media has also increased ! Let's all say enough! If necessary, let's go out into the street and defend our interests", he stressed.