Africa-Press – Angola. The amendments to the Military Careers Law, which were approved Thursday by Parliament, introduce substantial changes to the previous provisions, such as the demotion regime to reserve and retired military personnel.
Article 61, which defines demotion, was amended to include a new provision for military personnel in the Permanent Cadre, Contract Military Service, Compulsory Military Service, the Reserve, and retirement. This provision applies when they commit acts that undermine the decorum, honor, dignity, and good name of the Angolan Armed Forces and the State.
The previous version was limited to defining demotion as a transfer to the lowest possible rank without specifying its scope.
Regarding Article 62, which outlines the methods of demotion, the innovation is the inclusion of reserve and retired military personnel. The amendment establishes that demotion can occur administratively or judicially in relation to active duty, reserve, and retired military personnel.
Article 2’s main difference lies in the expansion of the law’s scope of application.
However, the prerequisites for applying the measure administratively as a sanction for serious indiscipline or judicially as an accessory penalty for a military crime or crime of a military nature punishable by a sentence exceeding six years remain unchanged.
These amendments aim to address gaps in the current regime that dealt with promotion but did not expressly establish the terms and conditions for demoting retired military personnel, in light of the constitutional principle of equality.
The changes also aim to align the legal career framework with the constitutional principle of equality, as well as adapt it to the new personnel management model and the ongoing FAA restructuring.
