"These are clear indicators that we are approaching a dictatorship and we need to scream loudly 'freedom', scream loudly 'peace for everyone'," said UNITA President Adalberto Costa Júnior, when questioned by Lusa about the suspension of said debate by order of the Luanda Court.
Speaking on Thursday night, on the sidelines of a vigil for press freedom and electoral transparency, promoted by the National Union Parliamentary Group for the total independence of Angola (UNITA), Costa Júnior regretted the court's decision.
"I believe this [suspension of the debate about the electoral legislative package] is a reality that all Angolans follow with great concern," he said.
At issue is a judgment of the Luanda Court of Appeal that prevented the holders of Angola (OAA) from a "national dialogue on the electoral legislative package", scheduled for Thursday and intended to foster reflection, with various segments of civil society, on proposals that are under consideration in the National Assembly.
OAA contested the Court's decision, promised to present a participation against the Judge Rapporteur “for violation of the duties of impartiality, reasonableness and respect for the constitutional limits of jurisdiction” and admits to resort to the Constitutional Court “in view of the disappointment of constitutional norms regarding fundamental freedoms and the statute of the Order”.
For the president of UNITA, the situation reflects limitations on the fundamental freedoms of citizens, so they "must fight and scream loudly that Angola needs to be a democratic and law state to be able to give dignity to all their children."
“For this, everyone is called to play their role,” said Adalberto Costa Júnior.
The Lusa Agency also contacted the MPLA (Angola Popular Liberation Movement) spokesman, as well as the leaders of the opposition parties PRS (Social Renewal Party) and FNLA (Angola National Liberation Front), without response so far.
The suspension of the debate on the electoral legislative package has generated a wave of contestations and solidarity of various entities with OAA, including previous bankships.
The Union of Portuguese Language Lawyers (UALP) repudiated on Thursday the cancellation of the debate, classifying the decision of the Luanda Court of Appeal as an “unacceptable interference”.
In a note that Lusa had access to, UALP expressed “deep concern and outrage” with the decision to suspend the event “National Dialogue on the Electoral Legislative Process”, which considers it to have a “judicially preventive and limiting character” and configures “unacceptable interference with the sphere of OAA autonomy and institutional freedom”.
The Mozambique (OAM) Bar Association also criticized the cancellation of the discussion promoted by the Angolan counterpart on the electoral package, classifying the decision of the Luanda Court as a “veto to the mission of the Angolan judiciary”.
"This pale decision is a veto to the mission of the Angolan judiciary, which cannot function as a 'office system', especially when it is concerned the self -destruction of fundamental freedoms," writes OAM in a statement.
