Filomeno Vieira Lopes explained that since the Democratic Bloc is a party, it cannot, itself, run on another party's lists and, thus, it will be "the people of the party who will run on UNITA's lists".
"My colleagues will run as individuals, not as a party," he stressed.
The political leader explained that as the court rejected the United Patriotic Front to present itself in a coalition in the elections and as the Democratic Bloc defends that there must be a great national effort, it decided that it does not run alone and that it is necessary to "gather forces on a list" .
"This allows us to have more seats, create more consensus and allow us to have joint ideas for the future, such as having a government program", he justified.
To compete as a party, the Democratic Bloc had to join the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), "which meant the dissolution of the Democratic Bloc", he said.
But this would not be "desirable for democracy in Angola", he considered. "What is desirable is for us to be together so that democracy exists in the country", defended the party president.
Therefore, in his opinion, it makes sense "the great national effort that the Democratic Bloc is making, which is sacrificing its initials".
"Because we also understand that we are in a national moment of joining forces, not only of political parties, but also of civil society, we are all united in the sense of overcoming this great wall, which is the installation of democracy in Angola, fleeing the autocratic regime that currently governs us," he said.
The manager announced that Justino Pinto de Andrade will be on the list.
"I will not be part of it, but Dr. Justino Pinto de Andrade (...) will make this sacrifice of being on the list, with this he will suspend his militancy in the Democratic Bloc, to be available on a UNITA list", he said.
"We had a coalition, which, from our point of view, was the best model, but since we couldn't, we're going this way, which is better than going separately," he concluded.
The Constitutional Court prevented the United Patriotic Front (FPU), a platform that brings together opposition parties and movements, from running for general elections and carrying out party-political acts, in a decision released on 23 May.
The FPU, led by the president of UNITA, Adalberto da Costa Júnior, the president of the Democratic Bloc, Filomeno Vieira Lopes, and the leader of the political project PRA JÁ-Servir Angola, Abel Chivukuvuku, was launched on 5 October 2021. and presents itself as an 'ad-hoc' movement that unites opposition forces for democratic alternation.
According to the director of the political parties office at the Constitutional Court of Angola, Mauro Alexandre, the FPU does not meet the legal requirements to present a candidacy as it is neither a legal entity nor a coalition, since for this purpose it would have to be noted (recognised) by TC.
"Under the terms of the constitution and the law, only political parties and coalitions that are legally constituted and that are registered with the Constitutional Court can apply for general elections", said the jurist and responsible for the office of political parties at the TC.
