Luanda - The National Assembly of Angola approved on Wednesday, in Luanda, the Political-Administrative Division Law (DPA), with 97 votes in favor, 66 against and five abstentions.
The new Political-Administrative Division foresees the emergence of three more provinces. These are the provinces of Icolo Bengo, which will result from the division into two regions of the capital Luanda, Cassai-Zambeze (Moxico division) and Cuango, which will emerge from the Cuando Cubango division.
With the approval of the proposal, during the VIII extraordinary plenary session of the AN, Angola now has 325 municipalities and 378 communes.
Declaration of Vote
MPLA
For the MPLA parliamentarian, Mário Pinto de Andrade, the party voted in favor of the DPA because it is in perfect harmony with the Government program of the party in power and the National Development Plan for the period 2022-2027.
He explained that the MPLA's essential pillars are the harmonious and balanced development of the entire national territory, hence the need for administrative decentralization for Angola's progress.
The MPLA, he recalled, launched a high-level consultation process across the country, listening to administrative and traditional authorities, civil society, political parties and academics who, by consensus, agreed to the 'comrades' claim.
Mário Pinto de Andrade said that the DPA responds to the need to reduce regional asymmetries, promote the harmonious development of the national territory and quality of organization and provision of services to populations.
UNITA
Américo Chivukuvuku explained that UNITA voted against, because the objectives and principles of the DPA will not be achieved, as the paradigms remain the same and will continue to fail in the newly created provinces.
He highlighted other priorities as more important, taking into account the high numbers of unemployed people and the high levels of corruption and bureaucracy.
'The DPA will not serve to bring services closer together, nor help the population out of poverty, it will not bring happiness and prosperity to the majority of citizens', he stated.
PHA
For the Angolan Humanist Party (PHA), Florbela Araújo said that the formation was abstained, considering that public services are brought closer to communities via roads and means of transport in quality and quantity.
She states that the multiplication of administrative areas of jurisdiction will hardly resolve the issues of administrative dysfunctionality and excessive bureaucracy, among others.
PRS
The PRS also justified that it remained neutral, neither for nor against, as it believed that the DPA, mainly in the province of Luanda, should take into account conditioning aspects such as historical, political, economic and cultural issues.
However, legislator Rui Miguel stated that it is legitimate for the party in power to undertake, within legality, the actions it considers fair, based on its development policies. VIC/DOJ
