Former Prime Minister Marcolino Moco (MPLA) today declared his support for the candidacy of Adalberto da Costa Júnior, leader of UNITA, for the presidency of Angola because it is "a great opportunity" to create an inclusive state.

The declaration of the former leader, Prime Minister of the MPLA Government between 1992 and 1996, was made today during UNITA's airtime, in which he considered this to be "a moment to change my life.

It is "a great opportunity for us to finally create a State that is one of inclusion," he stressed, stating that this is Adalberto da Costa Júnior's project and that it coincides with his vision of an inclusive State "in which people are not worth the card they have.

"We are facing a great opportunity, not least because Adalberto promises to put aside the witch-hunt season and reunite the country, with all that is good and less good, to start a new day. Hence my very strong statement in favor of Adalberto's project, of UNITA, FPU [United Patriotic Front], a project that will give us the opportunity to change things that have been very bad since 1975 because of the unilateral character of the functioning of the State," he proclaimed.

In September 2018, when João Lourenço, who is running for office again for the MPLA, was serving his first year in office, Marcolino Moço said that President João Lourenço was giving "very positive signs," particularly with the opening of the media.

But in the following years he became disillusioned with aspects such as police violence, human rights violations, and contradictions in the fight against corruption, criticisms that are said to have displeased the Angolan Chief Executive and which culminated with his removal as a non-executive director of Sonangol, which he learned about on television.

On August 24th Angola will hold its fifth general elections in its history, always won by the MPLA, the party that has ruled Angola since independence in 1975.

UNITA, the largest force in the Angolan opposition, is betting on alternation, presenting a list that integrates elements from civil society and other political forces, including former militants of the MPLA, in what it has called the United Patriotic Front.

More than 14 million voters will be called on August 24 to choose a new president and representatives to the National Assembly in an election that is expected to be hotly contested between the two main adversaries, MPLA and UNITA, with seven parties and a coalition running. (Visão/Lusa)