Luanda, ANGOLA, May 16 - The parliamentary whip of the ruling MPLA, Américo Cuononoca, has said that the statements made by the party?s MP Welwitschea José dos Santos need to be handled in parliamentary forum.,

MP Welwitschea José dos Santos, who is a member of MPLA Central Committee, recently defended the ousting of the Head of State, João Lourenço, accusing him of carrying out a coup on State institutions.

 

According to Américo Cuononoca, who was speaking to the National Radio of Angola (RNA), underlined that MPs are guided by respect for the Constitution, the National Assembly’s Internal Regulation and the statute of parliamentarians.

 

“This issue needs to be handled by the National Assembly (...)”, he said, adding that the party has the Auditing and Disciplinary Commission to deal with this issue.

  

Welwitschea José dos Santos has been abroad for over 90 days, surpassing the limit allowed for MPs to be absent.

 

Speaking from London, where she apparently decided to stay, the MP said she is out of the country, fearing for her life.

 

Meanwhile, in reaction to those statements, the largest opposition party, UNITA, has said it has clear indications that the ruling MPLA is deeply split.

 

On his turn, to the MPLA secretary for Electoral Political Affairs, Mário Pinto de Andrade, the insinuations made by UNITA do not fit in his party, underscoring that the ruling party has mechanisms to discuss internal issues.  

 

Mário Pinto de Andrade also said that the statements made by the party’s MP do not shake up the MPLA.

 

However, the politician ruled out any eventual trend to create factions inside the party, adding ironically that a single person does create wings, nor even a sparkle.

 

He also defended that if the MP has something to say, she must return to Angola and discuss the matter with the party’s Central Committee or in parliament.

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