Angola: Higino Carneiro accepts judicial decision (without giving up questions)

O Constitutional denied the injunction filed by the former general to suspend the rejection of his candidacy for the leadership of the MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola).

Higino Carneiro wants to compete at the IX Ordinary Congress, scheduled December 9th and 10th, against João Lourenço, current President of the Republic of Angola, who has already validated the re-application to the MPLA presidency.

The Constitutional plenary considered the intervention of Justice premature because it believes that the normal and legal procedures are still underway in the internal structures of the party, in the ruling known on Thursday and dated 7 September, to which Lusa had access.

In a press release released today by the Press Office, Higino Carneiro considered that the Constitutional Court “pronounced the decision that was up to him, and it will naturally be respected”, but added that it will continue to challenge the party’s decision.

“Respecting a judicial decision does not mean, however, abdicating the right to question, at the institutional and judicial level, the procedures that led to the conflict, nor abandoning the duty to provide clarification to militants and public opinion,” he said.

The press note added that “the candidacy of Francisco Higino Lopes Carneiro will make use of the other legal and statutory mechanisms that show reasonable, not motivated by personal ambition, but by the conviction that the defense of the basic principles that preside over any democratic process, participation, equal treatment, transparency, objectivity, impartiality, for the sake of internal democracy contributes to the strengthening of the unity, legitimacy and cohesion of the MPLA”.

The pre-candidate stressed that “the MPLA is greater than any application and more important than any individual interest (...) therefore, internal democracy must be protected especially when it is tested”.

“ The existence of multiple applications, when exercised within the rules established by the statutes, should not be regarded as a threat to unity, but as an expression of the democratic vitality of the party”, he argued.

Higino Carneiro submitted on 25 June the application, which was rejected on 21 July by the subcommittee, pointing out serious irregularities, including allegedly falsified signatures and misuse of identification documents.

The representative of Higino Carneiro stated that he had presented more than 19,000 subscription forms, when the statutes required a minimum of 5,000 signatures of militants from all over the country to validate an application.

The pre-candidate filed a complaint with the National Preparatory Commission of the Congress, arguing that the decision was extemporaneous, because the deadline for the submission and regularization of applications continues.

It also decided to submit the precautionary measure, now rejected by the Constitutional Court, to ask for the suspension of the rejection of the candidacy until a final decision has been reached, so that any delays in the assessment do not prevent the running to leadership of the MPLA.

After knowing the intention to run for MPLA leadership, Higino Carneiro was accused of embezzlement and money laundering, in a process related to management as governor of Cuando Cubango and an alleged use of public funds for private purposes during the period in which he served.

The case is under investigation at the Angola Supreme Court awaiting a judicial decision on two defense applications to resume hearings that will dictate whether or not Higino Carneiro goes to trial