"The main objective of my candidacy for councilor of the Portuguese communities in Angola is, without a doubt, to represent and give a voice to the Portuguese residents in Angola. It has been many years since Angola has not had a representative in the CCP and I think it is essential at this stage to have a voice," he said.
Diogo Barbosa Leal, candidate for advisor to the CCP, with elections scheduled for next Sunday, signaled the importance of having a representative of the Portuguese in Angola who forms the real link between the community and Portugal's diplomatic bodies in Angola.
"From my perspective, much of what happens in the reality of Portuguese residents in Angola does not even reach 1 percent of the embassy and consulate. Here the role that I want to implement, that I want to bring back, is a bridge, a link between the community and bodies of the Portuguese State in Angola", he said.
Representing and promoting the community and, above all, "creating a way of being in the Portuguese community in Angola" are among the objectives of the 35-year-old manager's candidacy, which has Marisa Moroso as number 2 on the list.
The CCP is the Government's advisory body for policies relating to emigration and Portuguese communities abroad and Angola has been without a representative in this body since 2011.
According to the candidate for the position, the Portuguese community in Angola has been decreasing over the last few years, believing that the real number of Portuguese citizens in the Portuguese-speaking country is ten times higher than the more than approximately 16,800 registered.
Perhaps for this reason, it was not easy to collect, in Luanda, 75 signatures of Portuguese registered to apply for the CCP.
Barbosa Leal also highlighted the main difficulties faced by the Portuguese in Angola, noting that the problems are not linked to the embassy or consulate, but are more social.
"Sometimes, I feel some failure here in relation to support for small business owners and workers, but, overall, the biggest failure I feel is unity", he highlighted.
He pointed out as examples the Portuguese communities in Venezuela, Luxembourg, Switzerland, "where there is great unity and interaction, which is not seen in Angola", guaranteeing that he will develop actions to strengthen ties, "unite and dynamize" a new way of being in the community in Angola.
"We want to create and implement community ties in Angola, initiatives, events, gatherings, we want to implement a new way of seeing the Portuguese community in Angola and that is why we are here and we will present this new project", concluded Diogo Barbosa Leal.
Sunday's elections are the first since the last change to the law regulating the CCP, in August. The maximum number of advisors increased from 80 to 90, as well as the number of circles (from 50 to 52) and gender parity increased to 50 percent.
There is also a 12-year limit on the terms of office of advisors and the obligation for the CCP, as a Government consultation body, to be heard in executive initiatives that concern the diaspora, despite its positions being non-binding.
Advisors also begin to attend the work of the Assembly of the Republic, including parliamentary committees, which deal with matters relating to Portuguese communities, especially when subject to mandatory consultation.
