At the investiture ceremony of the leader of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), winner of the elections on 24 August, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the only European country to be represented at the highest level, will be present. and several African heads of state.
Among the Portuguese speakers will be the presidents of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló – also president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) – of Cape Verde, José Maria Pereira Neves, of São Tomé and Príncipe, Carlos Vila Nova, and of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, according to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mozambique sends the Defense Minister and Timor-Leste will be represented by the ambassador.
Other African states such as the Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe will also be represented at the presidential level, as will the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
At the Vice-President level, Tanzania and Burundi will be represented. Cuba, Rwanda, Madagascar and Eswatini send their prime ministers.
The Chinese Government will have a special envoy, Liu Yuxi, while the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Algeria, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Chad, Senegal, Ghana and Serbia will be represented at ministerial level.
The leaders of international organizations will also be present, namely the president of the African Union commission, Moussa Faki Mahmat, the executive secretary of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), Zacarias da Costa, the executive secretary of the Development Community of Southern Africa, Elias Magossio, the president of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Gilberto Veríssimo, and the executive secretary of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, Georges Chikoti.
On behalf of the United Nations, there will be Abarry Abdou, Assistant Secretary General and Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Central Africa.
On a day declared as grace period, the investiture ceremony takes place in Praça da República, in the capital, where the population started to arrive at 07:00, while the guests are expected two hours later.
The President-elect will arrive at 10:30 am, inspecting the troops, in parade, followed by the oath to the Nation and signature of the instrument of investiture and respective individual terms. Then, the vice-president, Esperança Costa, will perform the same acts.
João Lourenço then delivers the speech to the Nation, followed by the parade of the three branches of the Angolan Armed Forces, and the national anthem, performed by the music band of the presidential Guard of Honor.
At 1:00 pm, the President will participate in a restricted ceremony of greetings, at the Presidential Palace, where the official banquet will take place at 2:30 pm.
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), which came second in the general elections, is not expected to be present at the ceremony, unlike other parties - the leaders of the Social Renovation Party (PRS), the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA) and the Humanist Party of Angola (PHA) have already confirmed their presence at the investiture of João Lourenço.
Defense and security forces have a considerable presence on the main streets and avenues of Luanda, displaying artillery and various military means, in compliance with the "state of combat readiness".
The elected deputies will be invested on Friday.
