Luanda - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, Saturday in Luanda, ruled out the postponement of the general elections scheduled for next year in the country.
He stressed that the ongoing process for the new political and administrative division would not affect the polls.
In statements to the press, after visiting the future premises of the National Electoral Commission (CNE), the Angolan statement said that there is nothing true in the fears about the possibility of the postponement of the next general elections.
On the occasion, the Head of the Executive Power reaffirmed the intention of holding the general elections next year and the local government elections, after the approval of the legislative package under discussion in the National Assembly.
"Nobody makes such a huge investment (the construction of the new CNE headquarters) (...) not to give it its due use. If we don't hold elections, what can we do with the infrastructure that cost the State a lot of money?
He said that these would be the first elections in which CNE and the National Scrutiny Centre would have their own premises and that the suspicions that have been raised were unfounded.
He also said that the future administrative political division of the country had no connection with the holding of elections, and stressed that the process was simply aimed at facilitating the approximation of State power to citizens.
President Joao Lourenço said that provinces such as Moxico and Cuando Cubango were bigger than many countries and that it was difficult to govern provinces with more than 14 municipalities.
Regarding the local government elections, President Joao Lourenço said that it was the initiative of the Angolan government, which in turn produced the proposed legislation under discussion in the National Assembly.
Appointment of new Chief Judge of the Constitutional Court
"The President of the Republic limited himself to doing what the Constitution obliges him to do in situations of this kind," he said regarding the appointment of the new Chief Judge of the Constitutional Court (TC).
The Angolan Constitution gives the President of the Republic the power to appoint four of the 11 judges to the TC, without the need to consult any other body.
Of the four, one of them must be nominated by the President of the Republic as the honorable Chife Judge of the Constitutional Court.
"Everything else that can be said around that is mere speculation". "If I am told that the President has violated the Constitution and the Law. There I am here to listen and if possible correct," expressed the Holder of the Executive Branch.
