Adalberto Costa Júnior formalized his candidacy for the leadership of UNITA

In a brief intervention to the hundreds of militants and sympathizers present, Adalberto Costa Júnior, who was until October the leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), removed from office by imposition of the Constitutional Court, which annulled the 2019 congress, he said the moment was "laden with importance".

"Certainly with an importance that will be marked by our history. We are here because we have just handed over the documents of my candidacy for the leadership of the great party that is UNITA", he said.

According to Adalberto Costa Júnior, the presentation of the candidacy represents "an integral availability to serve the party and through it to serve Angola".

"We are convinced that we can live up to the enormous expectation that we have seen from within the party and outside the party, of being able to raise the name of UNITA as high as possible, of taking UNITA to the centrality of the interpretation of political power, of the governance of Angola and of being able to serve Angola in this way", he stressed.

The politician stressed that it was "a surprise" to see the room "crowded", addressing a few words of thanks to the direction of his campaign "which accepted to be part of the challenge", to the "elders" of the party and civil society organizations.

In response to questions from the press, Adalberto Costa Júnior said that UNITA is plural, rejecting the idea of ​​an internal division.

"There are few parties that have the courage to show that there is no total consensus within them, and UNITA has had the courage of having held plural congresses, all of them based on contradictory debate. Here there is strictly no division", he stressed .

"The party has the maturity to be able to receive this plurality and this space for contradictory debate, as well as competent bodies to monitor all these realities with tranquility," he added.

Regarding his candidacy, Adalberto Costa Júnior said that the requirements of the party's statutes and guiding documents were scrupulously fulfilled.

"This room is still relevant, the differentiated presence of people who were mostly not summoned to be here, which well represents the interest, expectation and importance that this candidacy represents for UNITA and for Angola", he stressed.

The application submission period ends on Thursday, which is the first so far.