Africa-Press – Angola. The President of the National Assembly, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, highlighted the approval of the first revision of the Constitution of the Republic as the first achievement of the legislature that ended this Monday.
Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, who was speaking at the solemn closing session of the legislature, added that this revision allowed the country to have a more cohesive and consensual law in relation to the matters that were subject to change.
The parliamentary leader also highlighted the approval of the Angolan Penal Code and Criminal Procedure. These diplomas, he added, contributed a lot to a “fairer justice”.
For Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, these achievements are not restricted only to the field of legislative activity, but also extend to the field of control and supervision of the Executive’s action.
He said that the solemn closing session that marked the end of the legislature of the National Assembly also marked “the end of a cycle of great challenges and achievements”.
The President of Parliament stressed that, in the exercise of control and supervision, the National Assembly had as its first challenge the appreciation and approval of the law that approves the General State Budget for the year 2022, an act of supervision and control of the Executive.
In this process, according to Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, the Parliament held an extensive debate, where the interests of citizens were defended and decisions were taken that are more assertive and appropriate for each moment.
He made it known that, in addition to the General State Budget and the law that approves it, important diplomas were also approved in this legislature on the most varied sectors, with emphasis on Justice, State Administration, Economy and Finance, Health and Sports and the Telecommunications.
The president of the National Assembly stated that the deputies did not measure efforts and made valuable interventions regardless of political options, “in an act of true commitment to the country”, he underlined.
With regard to the debates held in this parliamentary year, the president of the National Assembly highlighted the importance of the themes, considering that they contributed to the strengthening of institutional cooperation relations and the improvement of citizens’ living conditions.
In this legislature, he indicated, there was a notable increase in deputations at the level of all provinces, which allowed deputies to verify the projects executed by the Executive, assess the degree of physical and financial execution, find out about the constraints experienced locally and propose concrete solutions for each case.
The President of the National Assembly recognized that the approval of these laws is not a sufficient condition for achieving the expected results, but it is a necessary condition for achieving this desire.
In terms of parliamentary diplomacy, he highlighted the strengthening of relations of friendship and interparliamentary cooperation, as well as all the work carried out to promote democracy, international peace and security, sustainable development, gender equality and the peaceful resolution of disputes, conflicts through dialogue.
He praised the atmosphere of fraternity and respect during the legislature, despite the multiparty composition of Parliament, the ideological differences arising from this reality. “Even in moments of disagreement, the highest interest of the Nation and the sense of State on the part of all representatives of the people always prevailed”, acknowledged the parliamentary leader.
The President of the National Assembly, who leaves the leadership of the Parliament in this legislature, also praised the work carried out by the members of the table, directors of parliamentary groups and political representations, specialized working committees, the group of women parliamentarians and the Parliamentary Administration for their dedication, collaboration and commitment demonstrated during the legislative session, and throughout the legislature. Their commitment, according to Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, allowed the Parliament to achieve success.
MPLA, UNITA and CASA-CE deputies consider the legislature positive
Each legislative session begins on 15 October and lasts for one year, ending on 15 August of the following year. During the closing plenary meeting, the summary report of the parliamentary year was presented.
The secretary of the board of the National Assembly, Raul Lima, who presented the report on the activities carried out by the National Assembly, during the fifth legislative session of the Fourth Legislature, highlighted the holding of 20 plenary meetings.
Raul Lima highlighted the approval of 86 diplomas, being 37 laws and 49 resolutions, having highlighted the laws passed in the field of Justice, Defense and Security, namely the Organic Law of Organization and Functioning of the Supreme Court, the Organic Law of the Courts of Appeal, the Law on the Right of Popular Action, Law that Amends the Angolan Criminal Procedure Code, Law on Social Protection of the Angolan Armed Forces, Law that Amends the Law on Posts and Badges of the National Police. In the field of State Administration, he highlighted the Law amending the Organic Law on General Elections, the Law approving the Administrative Procedure Code, the Law approving the Administrative Litigation Procedure Code and the Civil Service Basic Law.
In the field of Economy and Finance, the deputy highlighted the Law approving the Tax Benefits Code, the Statute of the Recovery and Insolvency Administrator, the Insurance and Reinsurance Activity Law and the Marcante Marine Law Posts and Related Activities. In relation to Health and Sports, the Cremation Law and the Law on Anti-Doping in Sports were highlighted.
With regard to Social Communication, the highlight was the approval of the Law that Amends the Press Law, Law that Amends the Law on Radio Broadcasting Activity, Law that Amends the Law on the Exercise of Radio and Television.
Positive Legislature
The president of the MPLA Parliamentary Group, Virgílio de Fontes Pereira, considered this legislature to be positive because the Parliament had the first experience of revising the Constitution, which made it possible to clarify relations between the Executive and Parliament.
Virgílio de Fontes Pereira said that the constitutional revision also made it possible to “unlock” the constitutional impasse regarding the principle of gradualism for the institutionalization of local authorities.
He highlighted as a gain of the legislature, the approval of the different legislative packages that have to do with the set of laws for the fight against corruption.
The deputy said that it was during the Covid-19 period that the highest degree of productivity of the National Assembly was recorded.
“The deputies set a great example at a time when we were all confined and we could, through remote-face-to-face , increase the activity of the National Assembly in quantitative and qualitative terms”, he said.
He also said that in this legislature the levels of democracy and personal relationship between MPLA and opposition deputies were felt more expressively.
The vice-president of the Parliamentary Group of UNITA, Mihaela Weba, highlighted the fact that in this legislature the deputies changed structuring laws, namely the constitutional revision, the Organic Law on General Elections, the Law on the Official Electoral Registration, among others.
UNITA, continued, considers that it was a positive legislature in terms of legislative production. For the first time, according to the deputy , there was the approval of a legislative initiative diploma by the Parliamentary Group of UNITA.
The deputy referred to the Law on the Right to Petition.
“We welcome this gesture from all the deputies of the National Assembly of this fourth legislature”, she said, recognizing that it was a legislature of many debates and work”, she stressed.
The deputy said that in terms of supervision “unfortunately there is still a deficit in supervision of the Executive’s acts and that is what Parliament has to improve on”, defended Mihaela Weba.
The president of the Parliamentary Group of CASA-CE, Alexandre Sebastião André, acknowledged that in this parliamentary year there was greater production at the legislative level.
“We have important laws that will regulate the development of society, for the economic and social life of the country”, he said, regretting the fact that the National Assembly did not approve the Law on the Implementation of Local Authorities in this legislature.
The deputy highlighted the implementation of new technologies in Parliament. This action, he added, contributed to the success of parliamentary activities.
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