The proposal was expressed during a debate held in the National Assembly, under the proposal of the parliamentary group of the Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola - Electoral Coalition (CASA-CE), on the "Exercise of Citizenship in Angola as a Democratic State of Law".
The parliamentary leader of CASA-CE, Alexandre Sebastião André, in the presentation of the basic report of the debate, said that as the current law presents itself "there is an urgent need to innovate its legal regime, either through the revision or repeal of legal diplomas in force" on this matter, "either through the design of a new legal regime".
Sebastião André stressed that this exercise can be carried out by the National Assembly without prejudice to the "Angolan people's representative body authorizing the Government to do so".
The report emphasizes that "only through the law or decree-law issued by the Government when duly authorized by the National Assembly" can the manifestations be regulated in the national legal order.
With the revision, defended the parliamentary group of CASA-CE, a problem that is verified in the demonstrations could be solved, namely acts of crimes committed either by demonstrators or by the forces of order or police.
The deputy stressed that in this way a juridical-legal treatment can be given, in which judicial procedures are respected, in which the excessive behavior of the police is punished, "because he revealed an abuse of power and punished the action of the demonstrator who extravasated the limits imposed by law, in situations where public order is disturbed, through riots and riots, among other attitudes".
For the parliamentary leader of the second opposition force, the scenarios of demonstrations that have taken place in Angola in recent times have aroused disparate discussions and public opinions on the matter, which is worthy of debate in parliament.
"We believe that there are omissions or gaps that give rise to interpretations that are not based on legal grounds, as there are no rules governing the procedures to be obeyed by those who carry out the demonstration and by those who have the duty to protect its authors", said Alexandre Sebastião André.
According to the deputy, this disparity of opinions stems from the fact that so far there is no specific updated law on the right to assemble and demonstrate that can respond to the new challenges arising in a context different from 30 years ago," he added.
As an example, Sebastião André said that there are those who understand that authorization from the authorities is necessary to hold a demonstration and that the absence of a response by the competent authority means that the interest intended by the demonstrators is dismissed, "when the Constitution rejects this step for itself. appear unnecessary, as elucidated in paragraph 1 of article 47 of the Constitution".
"To the National Assembly we recommend the urgent elaboration and approval of a new Law on Freedom of Assembly and Demonstration and its regulations, in order to extend the spirit of article 47 of the Constitution of the Republic of Angola, so that the controversy regarding the interpretation of the right to demonstrate, not least because the current law on this matter is inadequate to the current political and social context", recommends the parliamentary bench of CASA-CE.
