José Luís Domingos considered that Angola is an "embryonic" rule of law that "is growing", in statements made on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the 2024 judicial year, in reaction to the Freedom House report, which classified Angola as a country "not free".
"It is normal for the journey to be long, institutions have to be increasingly stronger", he stated, arguing that a more independent and efficient judiciary will help to consolidate the rule of law.
"The rule of law does not start at a perfect level, it grows, just like people, I think Angola [the rule of law] is in its embryonic phase, we need to nurture it so that it becomes increasingly robust", he stated, highlighting that executive and judicial power are aligned with this premise of consolidation.
The official reiterated that the courts will not be independent without financial autonomy, which has not yet materialized.
"It is necessary for the executive to change its attitude with regard to controlling the budget, whether in preparation or disbursement", stated the president, highlighting that the most important thing is to "put pressure on institutions to do their work better and better".
The jurist also stated that the little money that exists must be increasingly directed towards fundamental sectors, such as justice.
The new president – elected in December last year – said that the judicial power in Angola has two essential pillars, independence and efficiency, and was confident that "there will be no setbacks because the people need justice".
José Luís Domingos also spoke about the need to rethink the model for selecting judges for higher courts, in which the President of the Republic has discretionary power to appoint a presiding judge chosen among his peers, defending a Justice reform commission, within which these issues can be discussed.
In his speech, he called for the strengthening of institutions as the only way to "build a nation that everyone can be proud of", considering that "unfortunately, for most Angolans, a dignified life is a dream".
He expressed the hope of practicing law "with more dignity" to the 12,000 lawyers representing the structure, urging jurists to have "courage and be committed to Justice, under penalty of only having a degree in Law.
"I'm sure it won't happen overnight, but we will have the necessary justice," he concluded.
The opening of the 2024 judicial year took place this Friday in Luanda, with the motto "For the achievement of financial autonomy and modernization of judicial activity".
