Angola has been discussing the creation of municipalities for some years, with the opposition accusing the majority of not wanting to allow direct elections in municipalities because they are afraid of losing large urban centers.
"A party that is afraid of municipalities is not the one that introduces the issue on the political agenda, it was the MPLA that introduced the issue of municipalities from the political agenda, so there is no fear when the party has this initiative", replied to Lusa the deputy of the MPLA, Luísa Damião.
For the vice-president of the party, the implementation of municipalities in the country involves "approval of the municipal legislative package whose most laws are approved".
"With just one (law) missing, and as soon as the package is approved we will implement the autarchies, the MPLA does not fear the autarchies", she insisted.
The deputies discussed and approved, in the previous legislature, most of the laws contained in the municipal legislative package, lacking the approval of the Law on the Implementation of Municipalities, a fact that has given rise to criticism from the opposition.
Luísa Damião, who was speaking to journalists this Friday, on the sidelines of the investiture ceremony of the 220 deputies elected in the August 24 elections, stressed that the municipalities "do not constitute a problem for the MPLA".
On the non-implementation of the municipalities in Angola, the historical militant and leader of the MPLA, Roberto de Almeida, also spoke, considering that the process "is almost concluded".
"The process is almost concluded, I believe that on a date when the new assembly will consider it more propitious, it will move to the establishment of the municipal electoral process so that the autarchies are really implanted", he said.
The MPLA and its leader João Lourenço won the August 24 elections and elected 124 deputies, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA, the largest opposition party) elected 90, almost double the previous legislature.
The Social Renewal Party (PRS), the debuting Humanist Party of Angola (PHA) and the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) each elected two deputies.
Luísa Damião says she expects a lot of responsibility in the fifth parliamentary legislature because parliament is the house of laws, it is the sanctuary of democracy.
"We are here to represent the people and we must be the voice of the people, bring the people's concerns and we expect a fruitful and crystalline debate on matters that have to do with the fulfillment of the wishes and aspirations of the Angolan people", she stressed.
"In fact, we are going to have strong debates, but we also hope that they will be orderly and civic debates within what establishes democratic and civic principles and the important thing is that we represent the aspirations of the people here in the National Assembly", noted the MPLA deputy.
The challenges of the new legislature were also highlighted by Roberto de Almeida, mentioning that his party, which won the elections, must fulfill the new and previous electoral promises.
For the winning president, "and who was sworn in yesterday, there are electoral promises from the previous term that were not fulfilled and that he also recognized, there were several factors that contributed to this, and that is why I think that one of the main tasks will be to fulfill the promises".
"The MPLA is a party of challenges, it has always faced challenges, since its foundation, and the specific challenge is to achieve what was promised and that all legislators should contribute to materializing", pointed out Roberto de Almeida.
The experienced deputy, who has also been president of the National Assembly, also commented on the presence of young deputies in the new legislature, considering that "despite being more determined, they are also very impatient".
"And I think that not everything is done in an hour, in a day, there must be time, mature ideas and see the best means of realizing these ideas", he shot.
The deputies of UNITA, which contests the results of the elections, will be sworn in at this ceremony that marks the first constitutive meeting of the fifth legislature.
Carolina Cerqueira, former Minister of State for the Social Area, is the figure indicated by the MPLA to head the National Assembly and should also be invested in the position at this Friday's ceremony, replacing Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos.
