Luanda - The Plenary Solemn Opening Meeting of the Second Legislative Session of the 5th Legislature of the National Assembly (AN) will be held on 16 October (Monday), as opposed to 15 October (Sunday), by decision of the Parliament Standing Committee.
The announcement was made on Monday by the First Secretary of Parliament's Bureau, Manuel Lopes Dembo, at the end of the meeting of the National Assembly's Standing Committee.
Under the terms of the Constitution, the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, will address the country with a Message on the State of the Nation, marking the opening of the Parliamentary Year (2023-2024) of the 5th Legislature of the National Assembly.
The MP of UNITA main opposition party, Liberty Chiyaka, disagrees with the change in the date of the start of the legislative session.
"UNITA believes that the solemn meeting to open the legislative session should take place on the constitutional date, which is 15 October. Fifteen October could be any day of the week, but the constitutional date should be observed," said Liberty Chiaka.
In this regard, Article 107(1) of the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure states that "The National Assembly functions on working days, and may exceptionally function on any other day, when so decided by the Plenary or the Standing Committee".
Paragraph 2 of the same article states that "when any deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, it shall be transferred to the next working day".
The Standing Committee is the body of the National Assembly that acts as a substitute for the Plenary when Parliament is not actually in session, between the end and beginning of a new legislature and during the intervals provided for in the rules of procedure.
It remains in office until the opening of the constituent meeting of the following parliamentary term. It is made up of the Speaker and vice-Speaker of the NA, the secretaries, the Leaders of the parliamentary groups and of the specialised working committees.
The Standing Committee also includes the chair of the NA's Board of Directors, the chair of the Group of Women Parliamentarians, as well as 12 MPs appointed in proportion to the seats of each political party or coalition of political parties.
The Standing Committee is responsible for exercising Parliament's powers in relation to the mandate of MPs, preparing the opening of Legislative Sessions and convening the NA on an extraordinary basis to analyse specific matters of an urgent nature.
It also monitors the meetings of the Specialised Working, Eventual and Parliamentary Inquiry Committees outside of the National Assembly's actual working hours. DC/VIC/ADR/DAN/DOJ
