Luanda - The specialized committees of the National Assembly gave a positive opinion, on Tuesday, to four draft laws from municipal authorities that will be discussed and voted on, in general, at the Plenary meeting of the legislative body scheduled for the 23rd of this month.
These are the draft laws on the institutionalization of local authorities, the remuneration status of the holders of bodies and services of municipal authorities, the organic law on the Municipal Guard (Executive initiatives) and the bill on the effective institutionalization of local authorities (legislative initiative from UNITA).
The Executive's proposal aims to establish rules on the institutionalization of municipal authorities and transition measures between the State's local administration and the autonomous administration.
The bill determines the acts and formalities for the institutionalization of local authorities and the acts that must be carried out to ensure a responsible and efficient transition from State local administration bodies to autonomous bodies capable of safeguarding national unity and the balanced and harmonious development of the country.
The Draft Law on the Effective Institutionalization of Local Authorities was requested to the National Assembly in an urgent process by the UNITA Parliamentary Group.
The Bill in question aims to effectively institutionalize and create local authorities in Angola.
In this regard, the Member of the Parliament (MP) rapporteur of the two documents, Lurdes Caposso, emphasized that the Executive Law Proposal, given its normal nature, requires in-depth analysis, while the UNITA Project effectively establishes the local authorities, based on the Constitution.
As rapporteur, she said that she will recommend to the Plenary the merger of the two bills, for whom the most important thing as legislators is to present a single law to the country that deals with the institutionalization of local authorities.
The vote on the admissibility of the two bills to the Plenary was carried out separately, with no votes against.
The MPs also considered the joint opinion reports, in general, of the Proposed Laws on the Remuneration Status of the Holders of Bodies and Services of Local Authorities and the Organic Law of the Municipal Guard.
The Municipal Guard provided for in the Proposed Law is an administrative service of the local authority intended to exercise the function of the administrative police in the respective area of jurisdiction and guarantee compliance with the rules in force in the local authority.
The Proposed Law that approves the Remuneration Statute for the Holders of Bodies and Services of Local Authorities aims to materialize what is foreseen in article 12 of the Statute of Local Elected Members, approved via Law No. 25/20, of 20 July, which establishes that “the salary of the president and other members of the Chamber is fixed by specific statute'.
Money laundering
MPs approved the joint opinion reports, in particular, on the Proposal to amend the Law on preventing and combating money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the Angolan Penal Code and on preventing and combating terrorism .
The diplomas will go to the final global vote at the Plenary meeting of the National Assembly on the 23rd of this month.
Parliamentarian Lurdes Caposso, from the MPLA, highlighted the advantages of approving the legislation in question, related to the commitment of each Angolan to cooperate with international institutions 'and not launder money'.
'We have to come together so that Angola is in compliance with international legislation (compliance) and has access to foreign exchange, among others', she expressed.
Regarding the amendment to the Penal Code, she highlighted that profound changes were made to ensure a safe and integrated business environment.
The Executive's legislative initiative falls within the scope of the sector's legislation review process, and essentially aims to correct and overcome inaccuracies, mistakes and insufficiencies recorded when the Angolan Penal Code was published, approved in November 2020. DC/ SC/DOJ
