He stated that the MPLA understands that autarchic power must be instituted. "We must create the autarchies that will work at the municipal level, but we are the ones who had this initiative to create the autarchies (...), we feel more than anyone the need to bring power as close as possible to the citizen. ", said João Lourenço.
The MPLA leader stressed that it was his party's executive who drafted the 11 bills that were submitted to the National Assembly, so that, once approved, they would have the legal support to create the municipalities.
"It was the majority of the MPLA in parliament that made it possible to approve 10 laws of these 11 laws of the municipal legislative package, which means that the greatest interest in the institutionalization of municipal power in Angola is ours and only did not happen during this first term because it really we need to close the package, we need to pass this one law that is missing and that many are interested in arranging obstacles for its approval", he said.
According to João Lourenço, who is running for a second term, they will be able to convince the others to pass the only law that is missing. "And as soon as this happens, we will be in a position to effectively bring power closer to the citizens. Therefore, municipalities will be created, no matter if the process will be conducted globally, all at the same time, the number of municipalities in our country is quite large, in one way or another, we will have to necessarily implement municipal power during this second term, this is the commitment that remains", he promised.
João Lourenço added that the most difficult has already been done, referring to the approval of the 10 laws, promising the approval of the missing law "at the beginning of the next term".
Angola had planned to hold the first municipal elections in 2020, but the covid-19 pandemic was one of the arguments presented by the Government for its unfeasibility.
In September 2020, the Council of the Republic concluded that there were no conditions for holding municipal elections, recommending the continuation of the preparation and organization work of the municipalities.
In turn, the Minister of Territory Administration and State Reform, Marcy Lopes, said, at the time, that in addition to the issue of the pandemic, there were several tasks to be implemented by the executive, including the completion of the municipal legislative package, training of human resources and the process of administrative devolution.
The President expressed his intention to hold municipal elections in 2018, at a meeting of the Council of the Republic.
The process of implementing the municipalities divides the Government and opposition parties, as well as civil society, the former advocating gradual institutionalization and the other part that occurs simultaneously for all municipalities in the country.
