Adalberto da Costa Júnior (ACJ) spoke to Ecclesia radio after being received by the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST), reacting in this way to the ruling of the Constitutional Court released on Thursday, which declared the nullity of the XIII Congress of UNITA, held in November 2019, where he won the dispute for the party's leadership, succeeding Isaias Samakuva.
The UNITA leader said he was concerned about the loss of values and referents of the democratic rule of law, which had been achieved after the peace signed in 2002, considering it "a very serious problem" when it involves legal issues.
In particular, he pointed out the change in the Constitution during the pre-electoral campaign, the changes to the electoral law and the proposal for a political-administrative division "which was not debated and is not part of the strategic governance programs, nor was it part of the campaign".
According to ACJ, the MPLA "is desperate in the face of the prospect of loss of power" and the calls of citizens for change and alternation "and is giving up the manipulation of institutions without limits".
Asked about the annulment of the UNITA congress, he replied that experts are analyzing the ruling and a formal reaction from the party should be known this Friday.
"I cannot fail to say that we were prepared for this decision, because of the signs of intolerance that the institutions have been transmitting to us, because of the way in which we have seen the president of the Constitutional Court change," he declared.
"It is not normal in a two-year term to see two presidents resigning and one having used the suicide expression of the rule of law and democracy", continued the leader, alluding to the resignation of Manuel Aragão, who had been appointed in 2017, and was replaced by Laurinda Cardoso last August.
"The indicators were there", ACJ continued, stressing that "UNITA's congress is unassailable" and was carried out "with maturity, transparency and without complaints from its participants".
UNITA's president said that Angola is experiencing "unlimited interference from some state bodies", in particular from the intelligence services, which condition institutions and have no limits to their action.
"UNITA will have a clear and strong reaction," he stressed, noting that he remains, for now, UNITA's president and has eight days to react to the decision.
The party leader said that "these circumstances are not good for Angola", a country that wants to attract investment, and criticized the "hypocritical speeches", saying that "it is not worth the president to go to the United Nations to say that others are bad. presidents tamper with the Constitutions when he tampered with the Constitution a short time ago."
"The MPLA is tired and needs to drink ideas of democracy," he fired, considering that "these attacks" are also bringing promotion to UNITA.
