"The local authorities are, yes, an urgency, it is true that the proposed law on the Political and Administrative Division (DPA) has already been generally approved, however we have had this procedure for almost 50 years, we started with 17, 18 provinces and now they will be 20", said CEAST spokesperson, Belmiro Chissengueti.
The bishop, who was speaking at a press conference to review the first annual plenary session that ended in Malanje this Monday, said that although the desire is to bring services closer to citizens, the model of administrative division has proven to be ineffective.
"The truth is that this model has proven to be ineffective, mainly because it follows party political discipline and does not give citizens the possibility of choosing their representatives and the possibility of removing them through election when they do not deliver what they promised" , the Catholic bishop responded to journalists.
For the bishop of Cabinda, northern Angola, the autarchic model gives greater responsibility to the mayor than a simple administrative division, whose management is carried out by appointment.
"Therefore, between the DPA and the local authorities, we believe that the local authorities are much more urgent, as they would allow for closer administration and greater accountability", concluded the CEAST spokesperson.
Parliament generally approved, last Thursday, the DPA bill, a legal diploma that creates two more provinces (totaling 20) and 162 new municipalities (totaling 325), which is scheduled to come into force in 2025.
The law was approved despite criticism from the opposition, which defends the implementation of local authorities, whose institutionalization law is yet to be approved.
The first annual plenary assembly of CEAST bishops, which began on Wednesday, ended this Monday with the approval of several documents on the life of the Catholic Church and recommendations on the socioeconomic situation in Angola.
