The report passed the scrutiny of Angolan deputies with 98 votes in favor from the MPLA, 63 votes against from UNITA and two abstentions from the Social Renewal Party (PRS) and the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA), both in opposition.
According to the Secretary of State for Finance and Treasury, Otoniel dos Santos, the “stock” of government debt, on December 31, 2023, stood at 52.51 billion kwanzas, with 26 percent corresponding to internal debt and the remainder to external debt, an increase of around 54 percent compared to the same period in 2022.
The government official, who presented the report to the plenary of the National Assembly, said that the “stock” of public debt, which brings together government debt and the debt of public companies, was around 55 billion kwanzas.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, revenue worth 4.66 billion kwanzas was collected and expenses worth 4.29 billion kwanzas were incurred, with a surplus budget result of around 373.96 billion kwanzas being recorded, he said .
“The current balance was also in surplus in the order of 1.40 billion kwanzas, demonstrating that current revenues were sufficient to cover current expenses for the period”, he said.
During discussions around the report's assumptions, deputies differed in relation to its impact on the socioeconomic condition of citizens, with deputies from the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola pointing out “untruths”, while the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola praised the Government's actions.
For MPLA deputy Kilamba Van-Dúnem, who presented the declaration of vote, his party voted in favor of the OGE execution report for the fourth quarter of 2023 as he understands that the document translates in detail the budgetary, financial and State assets during the period.
“We voted in favor because, despite recording some shortcomings that should deserve the best attention from the executive, we understand that we are facing continuous growth in terms of the quality of information provision with regard to accountability”, he stressed.
UNITA's vote against was justified by deputy Anabela Sapalalo, who highlighted that, “because data relating to public debt is also a very strong indicator [of] the mismatch of public accounts, this increase in debt puts strong pressure on the OGE 2024”.
“The budgetary imbalances recorded in 2023 are direct consequences of repeated budgetary indiscipline and the spending binge that occurred in 2022 in the election year,” she added.
For the PRS, its deputy and president, Benedito Daniel, spoke, justifying his abstention by the fact that he understood that, despite the report meeting legal requirements, it does not constitute a definitive balance of the execution of the OGE.
Deputies will also consider and vote, at this seventh ordinary plenary meeting, on resolutions on Angola's accession to the Convention on Social Security, the Convention on the Promotional Framework for Safety and Health and at Work and the Convention on Violence and Harassment , within the scope of international labor standards.
