Africa-Press – Angola. The Head of Angola’s ruling party, João Lourenço, defended on Saturday (13) in Luanda the need for the party to choose a good candidate, not only for the political organization, but above all for the Angolan Nation.
João Lourenço was speaking at a mass political event alluding to the MPLA’s 69th anniversary, having stressed that his successor must serve the country better than the current Head of State.
On the occasion, he rejected accusations that the party is closed and does not accept multiple candidacies, clarifying that the ongoing processes are merely expressions of interest and not formal candidacies.
“What is happening so far is only an expression of interest. An expression of interest is not a candidacy,” he stated, adding that political parties, like other civil society organizations, have their own rules and specific times for the presentation of candidacies.
The MPLA Chair explained that there is still no nomination committee, nor have the conditions for this been officially opened, so any individual initiative has no legal or statutory value.
According to João Lourenço, only when the party’s competent bodies publicly announce the process will those interested be able to present themselves under the defined terms.
The party president stressed that the MPLA, as an organization responsible for governing the country, cannot have a lower level of organization than professional, cultural or sporting associations, defending rigor, discipline and respect for the statutes.
João Lourenço therefore warned against attempts to create mess and distraction within the party, especially among young people, through campaigns that insinuate premature decisions by alleged “older” members.
In this sense, he denied the existence of any informal body above the Central Committee or the Congress and guaranteed that decisions are exclusively the responsibility of the statutory bodies.
“The MPLA will only present one candidate to the Constitutional Court, who will be the party’s candidate, approved at the congress,” he stated.
He said that this candidate will not be a particular person, but rather the MPLA’s candidate.
João Lourenço reiterated that the choice of the future presidential candidate should have national interest as its main criterion.
“We have to choose the best candidate for the nation, not just for the MPLA. Whoever succeeds me has to do more and better than I did,” he declared.
Comparing governance to a relay race, João Lourenço emphasized that each leader completes their course and passes the baton to the next, with the responsibility of ensuring continuity and better results, for the benefit of the Angolan people.
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