In a press conference in which the focus was on the MPLA and its leader, and also head of state, João Lourenço, the president of the UNITA parliamentary group, Liberty Chiaka, urged Angolans not to be distracted and considered that the extraordinary congress called by the regime party in December will serve to elect a new MPLA president.
The leader stated that parliament should now be preparing to debate and approve the remaining legislation in the municipal package and that the issue of the division of Luanda "constitutes a delaying maneuver to distract Angolans from the MPLA's internal crisis".
"It is not an important, urgent or necessary issue and it should not worry people, it has no impact on resolving the crisis that the country is experiencing", he said, regarding the proposal presented by the MPLA, last week, when it was also announced an extraordinary congress to celebrate 50 years of independence.
Last month, the MPLA spokesperson had ruled out holding an extraordinary congress, saying it was not on the political agenda for this year.
For Liberty Chiaka, what is at stake is "the leadership crisis that the party-State is going through and the serious crisis in the country", accusing the President of transforming the State into a corrupting agent, which promotes and feeds corruption, pointing out the effects a "catastrophic" social crisis, uncontrolled inflation and unprecedented levels of poverty.
The UNITA deputy accused João Lourenço of being solely politically responsible for the general governance crisis that the country is experiencing, with emphasis on unemployment, hunger and the unsustainable increase in prices and public debt.
He recalled that UNITA presented a request for the dismissal of the head of State, which gave rise to a "parliamentary dispute" that awaits an outcome in the Constitutional Court, showing that he was convinced that many MPLA leaders also read the document and "feel that the President of the Republic needs to be stopped so as not to continue sinking the country."
He considered, therefore, that the extraordinary congress will serve to elect a new president for the MPLA, questioning "what cohabitation will be like" with the President of the Republic and that João Lourenço could end his term prematurely.
Regarding the political administrative division of the country and the creation of new provinces, going from the current 18 to 20 (or 21, taking into account the new proposal for division of the province that houses the capital, Luanda), he said he has no doubt that this is an "electoral expediency" and "political survival", taking into account the trend of decreasing votes for the MPLA, which lost in Luanda in 2022, in the last general elections.
Asked whether the UNITA leadership is holding talks with MPLA leaders, he said that they speak "with all Angolans" and that "no one is satisfied with the state that Angola lives in".
"We all know that there is a lot of dissatisfaction, the MPLA's actions speak for themselves", he stressed.
Regarding the possibility of UNITA deputies voting in favor of an amendment to the Constitution that would enable a third term for João Lourenço, Chiaka denied this possibility, highlighting that Angolans must prepare for a "peaceful and orderly transition within the framework of inclusive and participatory governance".
The leader also stated that João Lourenço's "dictatorship" is worse than what was experienced during the years of the previous President, José Eduardo dos Santos, who led Angola for 38 years, and that Angolans have never suffered so much from hunger.
"That's what steals elections, God is punishing those who commit electoral fraud, but we are all suffering", he added.
