In statements to the Lusa agency, Felisberto da Costa, representative of António Venâncio, explained that the action was brought, and the court, at first, carried out the drawing of the rapporteur judge, which was up to the counselor judge Carlos Teixeira.
According to Felisberto Costa, on Monday, the presiding judge of the Constitutional Court issued an order admitting the action to challenge the VIII congress of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) brought by António Venâncio.
"Now the rapporteur will make his report that will be presented to the plenary for a vote, that's all," he said.
Asked to comment on the degree of optimism regarding the outcome of the case, Felisberto Costa considered that "a sentence, a decision or a ruling by a court is unpredictable", recalling, however, that the congress of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( UNITA), the largest opposition party, was challenged by the court two years later.
"We are sure that we did the right thing, now, hope for a favorable decision, no! This we do not feed", he stressed.
António Venâncio was a pre-candidate for the leadership of the MPLA, but he did not present a candidacy, denouncing supposed obstacles he faced when collecting signatures, having requested an extension of the deadline for complying with this requirement, which was not accepted by the subcommittee of candidacies of the National Preparatory Commission of the VIII Ordinary Congress of the MPLA.
Subsequently, the pre-candidate, a member of the MPLA for decades, filed an injunction at the Constitutional Court before the conclave to challenge the congress, which took place between 9 and 11 December 2021 and in which he was re-elected the current head of state, João Lourenço.
