The MPLA statement comes after UNITA accused the ruling party of using the proposed division of Luanda as "a maneuver" to distract attention from the internal crisis and bad governance and that the extraordinary congress will serve to elect a new president to replace João Lourenço, leader of the MPLA and President of the Republic.
The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) emphasizes that "holding a congress is a decision of its members, being an internal matter for each party" and that it intends to promote, "a deep reflection on the path, achievements and challenges" of the country on its 50th anniversary of independence, which will be celebrated in 2025.
"There could not be any greater strangeness, when a party that claims to be democratic, does not speak out against the reflection it intends to make, as it meddles, with unfounded speculation, in the internal life of another party to which it has no lessons to teach", they criticize, accusing UNITA of wanting to "promote confusion in public opinion with a view to facilitating its attempts to foment instability".
As for the political-administrative organization model of the province of Luanda, the MPLA considers that it is a matter "of interest to all Angolans", especially those from Luanda, given the challenges that this province faces, particularly due to its growing population density.
The MPLA says that it does not confuse the process of administrative organization of the territory with that of institutionalization of local authorities and reiterates its commitment to completing the municipal legislative package.
The regime party also highlights that the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) favors a narrative prone to creating "a situation of subversion of public order", instead of "making a constructive opposition through a plural debate in democratic institutions".
