Luanda – MPLA president João Lourenço on Thursday called on Angolan people for civic attitude, patriotism and a sense of state.
João Lourenço urged the Angolans in general and the leaders of political parties in particular, to act in the right way, respecting the differences and the people’s will.
Addressing a mass gathering in the coastal Benguela province, the politician regretted the fact that some leaders of political parties, without mentioning any, still instigate the population to cause social instability and disturbance.
"One of the leaders has this reprehensible attitude in every sense. Parties should be the first to stick to a civic attitude, instead of promoting unfounded distrust, mayhem and social instability. The people cannot be used as a weapon to defend the unconfessed interests of political parties. But this is what happening and we all must condemn it", Lourenço regertted.
The MPLA leader slammed those politicians who tend permanently discredit the State-owned institutions, discrediting the State itself, especially when it comes to the institutions that have the responsibility for conducting elections.
Lourenço questioned the politicians’ intention when trying to discredit the National Electoral Commission (CNE) or the Constitutional Court.
"They are not patriots. They convey the wrong idea that the institutions are not credible, which means that the Angolan State is not credible", stressed the MPLA leader.
Such an attitude, he said, shows that they are backing the interests of the others and not the Angolan people’s interests. Mouthpiece for other people’s interests, Lourenço lashed out.
He recalled that those who vote in the country are the people of Angola themselves, adding that the will of the people cannot be influenced from outside, neither through the media, nor the resources that are injected into the country.
João lourenço highlighted the real civil society, organised, and the churches for the patriotic attitude in wanting the elections to be free and fair. But they also want and are working for the elections to be peaceful and held in an orderly manner.
At least eight political parties are running for election. They are MPLA, UNITA, PRS, FNLA, APN, PHA and P-NJANGO parties and the CASA-CE coalition.
Roughly 14.3 million voters are expected to cast ballots on August 24.
