"In 2027, I will continue to serve my country, wherever I am called. We are a long way from that date, we are not in an electoral period, it is not wise to talk about presenting candidacies", said João Lourenço at the Presidential Palace, in Luanda, in an interview .
"When that moment arrives - which is still a long way off -, the MPLA (Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola) will know how to choose the best candidate and when it does, it will be concerned about not trampling either the Constitution or the law", replied the head of state regarding a possible third presidential term, bearing in mind that the current Constitution provides for only two terms of five years each.
As for the holding of municipal elections, he prefers not to mention dates "because it is risky", but ensures that they will not be affected by the new political-administrative division, which aims, among other changes, at increasing the current 164 to 581 municipalities, since this reorganization territorial does not involve autarkic power.
"I cannot call municipal elections without being based on the law", he insisted, claiming that the conclusion of the municipal legislative package is still dependent on the approval of some laws in the National Assembly that "does not depend only on one political party".
João Lourenço also said that he does not turn his back on dialogue with the opposition and that the MPLA, the party that leads and has been in power in Angola since independence, in 1975, is available to discuss other proposals.
"I talk to everyone, I even talk to people in the opposition who are not the leaders because they ask for an audience and as a general rule I receive it", stressed the leader.
But, he continued, "you don't want to think that everything that comes from the opposition is good."
"They are free to make the proposals they want and discuss with us and then we accept or not accept. That is what is happening with the municipal legislative package", he said, considering that "it is not realistic" to do, for the first time, municipal elections across the country as defended by UNITA (União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola).
It should be remembered that, in the last elections, the MPLA lost the constitutional majority and any alteration to the limitations of presidential terms or other issues of the constitution will have to be made possible by UNITA.
