The information was released this Friday by the coordinator of the committee, Dondji Vieira, who noted that only two candidates for the presidency of the Social Renewal Party (PRS) should run in the conclave rescheduled for 1, 2 and 3 October.
"This decision follows a decision by the National Committee made on 20 August 2024", said the official at a press conference in Luanda.
Benedito Daniel, a member of parliament and outgoing president of the party, and Sapalo António, who was initially removed from the race due to an internal suspension but has now been reinstated after an appeal to the Constitutional Court (TC), are competing for the leadership of the party.
Dondji Vieira said that there were "no reasons" for Sapalo António - a founding member of the party who had called for the congress to be challenged - not to run for the leadership of the PRS.
The pre-candidacy of Gaspar Fernandes (leader of the PRS youth movement), the coordinator of the preparatory committee for the 5th Ordinary Congress of Social Renovators, was rejected, he stressed, because he had not been a member of the party for 15 years. According to the person in charge, the actions of the preparatory committee are carried out in accordance with the law and the party statutes. "It was concluded that the preparatory committee is legal and has the authority to carry out the preparatory acts for the 5th Congress, in accordance with the grounds also set by the Constitutional Court", he assured. The conclave of social renovators was initially scheduled for 2, 3 and 4 April, but was suspended after the Constitutional Court accepted the precautionary measure of Sapalo António, who had been removed from running for party leadership due to "irregularities". In March, the plenary session of the TC judges agreed to grant the precautionary measure and, consequently, order the PRS to refrain from holding the announced 5th Ordinary Congress, "until the trial of the main action is held".
Sapalo António alleged the existence of "serious irregularities, especially in the way in which the acts leading to the holding of the 5th Ordinary Congress are being implemented".
This Friday, Dondji Vieira insisted that the rescheduling of the congress and the calendar of activities until October are taking place within the legal deadlines and were sent to the TC, after deliberation by the party's National Committee.
The calendar of activities, aiming at the congress on 1, 2 and 3 October, includes dates for the campaign of the presidential candidates (from 25 August to 24 September), a meeting of the National Secretariat to prepare the documents for the congress (27 September) and a meeting of the Political Council (28 September) to assess the documents for the 5th Congress.
