According to Adalberto Costa Júnior, the parliamentary group of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) by triggering the dismissal process of João Lourenço "is doing its part in the effort to normalize the country's democratic edifice".
"And let it be clear that this process is not a simple act of competition for power, in fact, the dismissal process, if successful, leads to the vice-president taking office as President of the Republic and it does not seem to us that she belonging to UNITA", he pointed out.
In accordance with article 132 of the Constitution of the Republic of Angola (CRA), in the event of a vacancy in the position of elected President of the Republic, the functions are assumed by the vice-president, until the end of the mandate, with full powers.
João Lourenço, also president of the MPLA, has been serving his second term as President of the Republic since September 2022 and has as vice-president, Esperança da Costa, of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA).
Costa Júnior stressed that in the event of a vacancy, Esperança da Costa, "who belongs to the MPLA", should assume the position and, therefore, "it makes no sense at all this whining, this crying, from someone who was not brave enough to warn and to help".
"Of those who felt comfortable in the sea of benefits and now intend to throw sand in the eyes of others, with ghosts of instability or assaults on power, completely unfounded", he pointed out, alluding to the reactions of the MPLA.
UNITA alleges that the President "subverted the democratic process in the country and consolidated an authoritarian regime that threatens peace" and, therefore, must be removed.
Doctrinal, political-constitutional and political performance foundations constitute the axes of UNITA's initiative, made public in July, referring that João Lourenço's governance "is against democracy, against social peace and against national independence".
At least 86 of the 90 UNITA deputies signed this Wednesday, in a public ceremony, the initiative to remove the President, João Lourenço, and for the leadership of this party "the legal conditions are met" for the start of the removal process.
Adalberto Costa Júnior, also coordinator of the United Patriotic Front (FPU), a political platform in the opposition, signed the dismissal initiative alongside Justino Pinto de Andrade (vice-president of the Democratic Bloc) and Abel Chivukuvuku (coordinator of the political project PRA JA Servir Angola), which make up the FPU.
The removal of the President of the Republic is a process that requires the signature of one third of the deputies in office to be sent to the National Assembly. The deliberation requires approval by a two-thirds majority of the deputies.
"The hearts, wills and arguments of good Angolans rest on the shoulders of the honorable deputies of the National Assembly who, at the crucial moment, imbued with a patriotic spirit, can make history, pleading for this noble cause", noted Adalberto Costa Júnior.
The opposition leader considered that whatever the result of the process, "in the end, the country will win, as these acts lead to greater respect for the law, they add governmental sensitivity".
The act itself "is a wake-up call for those who govern", currently or in the future, "to be more careful and more responsible, limiting their actions to the framework of the Constitution and the laws".
"Because governing is in no way a highway for free will", he stressed, adding that the process of removing João Lourenço "is an exercise in ethics, decorum and political pedagogy".
"We are contributing so that citizens progress in terms of political and legal culture", he assured.
Angola "would be unequivocally better if it had a governance centered on a logic of concern for the inclusion of the most unprotected and vulnerable citizen", concluded Adalberto Costa Júnior.
Abel Chivukuvuku, for his part, signaled the "historical and transcendental importance" of the act of signing the proposal to remove the President, congratulating the FPU and the UNITA parliamentary group.
"The initiative of UNITA's parliamentary group is legitimate and legal, it rests on criminal foundations and political foundations", he pointed out, understanding that the Angolan democratic process "has retreated with the current President".
Filomeno Vieira Lopes, president of the Democratic Block, praised the initiative, expressing full support for the President's dismissal action, mainly for "having abused the good faith of the Angolans".
The MPLA parliamentary group reaffirmed, on Monday, "its unconditional support" to its leader, guaranteeing "loud and clear" that there will be no dismissal of the President of the Republic.
