Africa-Press – Angola. MPLA leader João Lourenço, re-elected this Monday for a second term, promises to “be the President of all Angolans”, assuming the commitment to work continuously so that “Angola is a great economy, a great democracy and an inclusive society, where everyone has the same opportunities to develop their talents and abilities to thrive”.
Speaking to members of the Political Bureau and the Central Committee, in reaction to the release of the final results by the National Electoral Commission, which confirmed the party’s victory in the General Elections of 24 August, João Lourenço said that the MPLA had heard and interpreted correctly the aspirations of the people and youth, an age group to which he promised to pay particular attention.
With the private sector and other partners, the Government under the leadership of his party, he assured, will invest heavily in creating more opportunities for employment, self-employment and successful entrepreneurship.
“With this huge vote of confidence that Angolans have deposited in the MPLA, it is time for us to continue to carry out a set of investments and necessary reforms to make Angola a more prosperous, developed and more innovative country”, underlined João Lourenço.
With the initiative, he reinforced, the MPLA intends to provide all Angolans with the future they aspire to and deserve. “This is the time to open doors of opportunity for our young people, restore prosperity and promote
move peace. Accordingly, it is with great pride and satisfaction that we celebrate, today, another victory for the MPLA, a victory of humility, seriousness and stability,” he said.
Clear bet of the Angolan people
The re-elected President of the Republic stated that the unequivocal victory of the MPLA constitutes a clear commitment by Angolans to the party’s programme, focused on diversifying the economy, creating jobs, training staff and strengthening the education system in the modernization of Public Administration and the decentralization of the State, as well as the expansion of health services and basic sanitation. He called, in this sense, for the union of the MPLA, based on a new spirit of patriotism and responsibility, where everyone should make their contribution to a more just society. Asked if he would be satisfied with the results released by the National Electoral Commission, João Lourenço said “any competitor not only wants more, but wants everything, but life is not quite like that”. He added: ” I am satisfied with the result that Angolan voters conferred, both on the MPLA party and on me, as their candidate. We respect the will of the people”, clarified the re-elected President of the Republic.
João Lourenço, after the presentation of the victory speech, delivered at the MPLA headquarters, maintained a dialogue with the press, composed of national and foreign journalists. On the question of how the result of the elections will be reflected in the new governance, the leader of the comrades stressed that the MPLA unequivocally won the elections. “These elections were general and not provincial, nor regional, municipal and much less autarchic”, explained João Lourenço, to clear up any misunderstandings.
What was at stake and in dispute, he continued, was the place of the President of the Republic and deputies in Parliament. “Only these two figures were in dispute”, he pointed out. Regarding the position of President of the Republic, João Lourenço stressed that the MPLA candidate won. As far as the number of parliamentary seats is concerned, he made it known that his party had an absolute majority. “And as the word itself says, it means that there is no shadow of doubt. When it is absolute, there is no doubt that we are winners”, he stressed. The re-elected President of the Republic said that he has all the conditions to exercise his mandate. “I can and must govern with all the legitimacy that the voters conferred on the MPLA and its candidate”, he clarified.
There is no need to make a “gimmick”
The opposition contests, but there are adequate institutions to present the contestations. “Let them do it, because the law provides for these situations and has stipulated deadlines for this. We will wait for the Constitutional Court, in the guise of an electoral court, to take a stand on the opposition’s challenge,” he said.
The MPLA, he continued, has the legitimacy to govern alone, and does not need to make any “gimmicks”. “The contraptions are made when the winning party doesn’t have enough votes to govern alone, and that’s not the case. If you’re talking about contraptions, it’s better to forget, because there won’t be”, sentenced President João Loureço, when clarifying the position of the party on the possibility of making governance pacts with the opposition, “calming” the curiosity of the press.
The MPLA leader also clarified that the MPLA’s results in the current General Elections were far from being considered the worst. To a direct question, which opened this perspective, João Lourenço stated that “the MPLA did not have the worst results ever, referring, to clarify the picture, of results of previous elections. “If we remember, in the first elections, of 1992 , the MPLA had about 53 percent. Between 53 and 51 percent, I don’t see a big difference,” the comrades’ leader contextualized.
President João Lourenço ruled out the possibility of making a profound reform in the party, depending on the results, having made it known that “the results were good, because the MPLA won”. “If we had the worst results, what will the opposition say that has lost, and has lost for five elections? We won the penta”, he praised the victory.
Congratulation addressed to competing parties
In his speech, the MPLA leader, re-elected for the second term as President of the Republic, congratulated all competing political parties, their leaders and candidates for deputies to the Assembly.
National Bible
Received with ovations and cheers by his party comrades, João Lourenço recalled that, on August 24th, “Angolans decided unequivocally, as only he could do, that they want the MPLA Executive in the next five years, as a guarantee of stability and consolidation of the Democratic State and Rule of Law”.
During the electoral campaign, he informed the MPLA leader, he had the opportunity to, once again, listen to Angolans and get to know their wishes and expectations for the future. “In this, I could see that your vote for the MPLA was a vote of confidence, which carries the enormous responsibility of promoting dialogue and social concertation with the different partners of civil society”, he concluded.
Parties had the opportunity to invite observers
In his speech, designated for the victory, João Lourenço recalled that, under the law, in addition to the President of the Republic, the Constitutional Court, the National Assembly and the National Electoral Commission, all competing political parties and coalitions to the General Elections “had the right and opportunity to invite an equal number of national and foreign observers”.
“It is important to recognize that in these elections the press, national and foreign, had complete freedom of movement, access to information and freedom of the press”, said the MPLA leader. For all these reasons, he stressed, the level of organization, the massive presence of observers and the free media coverage of the elections, “the international community recognizes these elections as having been free, fair and transparent”.
Thanks to the people
With a more serene face and visibly well-disposed, the re-elected President of the Republic, João Lourenço, thanked the Angolans for the trust they placed in the MPLA and in its candidate, to continue working on the country’s economic and social development, as well as the well-being of Angolans. being of the Angolans.
João Lourenço extended his thanks to the Angolans who participated in the elections in an exemplary way and who, throughout this election, ensured the functioning of polling stations throughout the country, making possible the celebration of democracy.
“Our recognition also extends to the National Electoral Commission, which ensured that this act was carried out and allowed Angolans to choose their future, through democratic means, to the national and international observers, who followed the vote and witnessed the realization of these elections, which were proof of an extraordinary civic and democratic sense of the Angolans”, underlined João Lourenço.
On the occasion, the president of the ruling party, also thanked the militants and leaders of the MPLA who were tireless throughout the electoral campaign and committed to the mobilization.
The CNE, he said, the competent entity responsible for organizing the fifth General Elections in Angola, which took place on 24 August this year, has just released the final results of the elections, declaring “the MPLA winner by absolute majority”.
“The sovereign will of the Angolan people, through the voters who exercised the right to vote at the polls, has just given the MPLA the legitimacy to govern Angola, throughout its territorial extension, in the 2022-2027 term”, he said, by the way, the re-elected President of the Republic.
In the case of general elections, he said, this mandate of the people, which is sovereign, gives the MPLA the constitutional right and obligation of its candidate to be invested in the guise of President of the Republic of Angola, form the Executive, appoint the ministers and secretaries of State, the governors of the 18 provinces, as well as all municipal administrators.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
