The document was approved with 111 votes in favor of the parliamentary groups of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), in power, the Humanist Party of Angola (PHA) and the mixed parliamentary group Party for Social Renewal (PRS) and National Front of Liberation of Angola (FNLA), 74 votes against from the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and no abstentions.
In her declaration of vote, UNITA deputy Mihaela Weba said that the vote was against because they understand that with this budget the lives of citizens will get worse, unemployment will increase, the price of gasoline could rise again and the kwanza, the national currency, it will devalue even more.
According to Mihaela Weba, the price of food and the main goods and services will continue to rise "and the most ridiculous thing is that those who steal, unfortunately, will continue to steal".
"The UNITA parliamentary group cannot give its approval to an institutional lie, because this OGE will not strengthen family income, it will not invest more in companies and the economy", said the deputy.
Mihaela Weba highlighted that this OGE proposal "will not generate growth or development, because it continues to be riddled with the same vices", such as promoting corruption, nepotism, cronyism, "completely distorting the real priorities of Angola and Angolans".
MPLA deputy Susana Melo said the vote was in favor because they considered that the OGE-2024 proposal contains the bases for political, democratic, economic and social harmonization, fundamental factors that are intended for Angola under construction.
The parliamentary group of the party in power said that it conscientiously approved the OGE proposal for the 2024 economic year, certain that the economic and social policies it encompasses will be the subject of discussion in the specialty, a space for deputies to allude to their arguments of reason.
According to Susana Melo, the MPLA parliamentary group approved the proposal "because it has a commitment and responsibility to Angola and the people", asking Angolans not to be distracted by "UNITA's sea of demagoguery and whining".
"UNITA's management has accustomed us to understanding their hatred for Angolans, showing that challenges are not part of life, that they do not help us to win and grow. Courage, they will not infect us, because there are millions of us and we believe that the social well-being of the people is the MPLA's greatest aspiration", she stressed.
In response to the interventions and concerns presented by the deputies, the Minister of State for Economic Coordination, José de Lima Massano, reiterated that the budget proposal for 2024 as it stands "is a responsible budget" and with ambition.
José de Lima Massano said that the executive continues to attack the great difficulties that society still faces, highlighting that in recent years the social sector has received attention, with around 49 percent of tax revenue being allocated in 2024.
"It is one of the highest we have and with this we can continue investments in health, education and social assistance, particularly for the most vulnerable citizens", he said.
The OGE-2024 proposal is also ambitious, continued the government official, because despite the most varied internal and external difficulties, the executive is forecasting a growth in the non-oil Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 4.6 percent, "something expressive" which has as its strong base the focus on the agriculture sector, with an increase of more than 80 percent of the allocated budget.
"We want to mobilize society towards the great challenges that arise, only then will it be possible to have more offers, more jobs, lower prices, with more production, beyond the oil sector", he highlighted.
In the field of subsidies and grants, José de Lima Massano stressed that corrections will be made responsibly and progressively, adding that the price of fuel is still a real problem".
"To give you an idea, in the year 2024, if we do nothing, what is considered subsidies and which will have to be paid to those who sell refined products in the country, will cost two billion kwanzas, therefore, we will have to make corrections", he stated.
