"It was because of a breach of political commitment, we discussed it since morning, in fact the session was very long, because there was a long process of consultation between the parliamentary group of the MPLA and UNITA and after long hours of consultation they broke the commitment", he explained to Lusa the deputy of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), Liberty Chiyaka.
According to the UNITA politician, during the consultation it was agreed that the president of the National Assembly would be appointed by the MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, in power), the first vice-president would be proposed by the MPLA, the third would be from UNITA, the third vice president would be from the MPLA and the fourth from UNITA.
"But, unfortunately, after this agreement was made, three hours later we were informed that the commitment made was broken and the country cannot be made on those terms, because we are building a country where institutions must be inclusive", he lamented.
The initial agreement, Liberty Chiyaka continued, was also that the MPLA appoint the first and second secretary of the table and UNITA the third and fourth secretary of the table.
After the approval of the election of the new president of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, 66 years old, with 125 favorable votes from the MPLA, where UNITA neither voted against nor in favor.
The election of the first and second vice-presidents of the legislative body followed, when UNITA left the plenary room en bloc.
MPLA deputies Américo Kounonoca and Raul Lima were nominated and elected first and second vice-president of the Angolan parliament respectively, with 123 favorable votes from the MPLA and two abstentions from the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA).
Without UNITA deputies in the room, but with deputies from the FNLA, the Social Renovation Party (PRS) and the Humanist Party of Angola (PHA), the electoral commission, created for this purpose, elected the first and second secretary of table of the National Assembly.
MPLA deputies Manuel Lopes Dembo and Rosa Branca Albino were elected to the aforementioned positions, with only favorable votes from the ruling party.
The constitutive election meeting for the National Assembly presidency was preceded by the investiture session of the 220 deputies, namely 124 from the MPLA, 90 from UNITA, two from the PRS, two from the FNLA and two from the PHA, elected in the elections of 24 August. .
Carolina Cerqueira, former Minister of Culture, Media and former Minister of State for the Social Area, in the outgoing government, will now head the Angolan parliament in the fifth legislature, replacing Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, who headed the body during 12 years.
