"Nobody proposes a constitutional revision in a pre-election campaign. When the race is already underway you don't change the rules, particularly when we proposed this revision permanently and the President of the Republic did not accept it, did not show himself available," said Adalberto Costa Júnior, leader of the Angolan opposition.
The UNITA leader was speaking in Bissau, where he was on a 24-hour visit as part of a tour of several European and African countries to collect political support.
"This is a proposal that did not start by seeking consensus in the country, it was an initiative at a bad moment, late and closed, it is not open, namely, to the answers that every Angolan wants in what concerns, particularly, the election of the President of the Republic", he considered, when questioned on the subject.
The head of state, João Lourenço, presented in early March a proposal for revision of the Constitution, which has been criticized by civil society.
"The President of the Republic in Angola is elected by hitching a ride on the ballot of the deputies. We have never seen the same bulletin elect two sovereign bodies, bodies that should be complementary. This is one of the fundamental aspects, among others," explained the president of UNITA.
"It is in fact the problem of the hegemonic parties, single party, which still has the party state in the reality of our dimension," he criticized.
Adalberto Costa Júnior pointed out that Angola, in order to be a developed country, has two great challenges to accomplish.
"The courage to make the revision of the Constitution adapted to the challenges that we have and the courage to make the reform of the State, the de-partidarization of the State institutions. These are challenges that it seems MPLA has been showing it does not have the courage to do and we are prepared, on behalf of Angola, to do so if we want to embrace development," he said.
Questioned about an increase in tension and political intolerance, with the approach of the general elections, which will take place in 2022, UNITA's leader answered that "unfortunately it is a reality".
"We have accompanied a cycle of mutation in 2017 of leadership within the country. This new leadership emerged with a discourse of reforms, of fighting impunity, corruption and after three and a half years unfortunately the disappointment is great," he stressed.
For Adalberto Costa Júnior, Angola is worse off than during the transition period that brought hope, but nowadays Angolans live worse and with more difficulties and the economic crisis has deepened.
"We are going through a period of pre-electoral campaign, the general elections of 2022 will surely take place, the expectation is very high, although by stages the Government tends to fail with strategic and institutional commitments, it seems unthinkable to me that with respect to these elections the commitment to hold them in the 'timings' that the Constitution obliges is not forthcoming", he stressed.
About a possible distrust of UNITA in relation to the National Elections Commission, the party leader said that it is not a "distrust of UNITA, it is of Angolans.
"We have today all the living forces of society asking for the direct election of the President, the reform of the State, the revision of the Constitution. The people have also matured," he declared.
