Luanda, ANGOLA, October 12 - Alcides Sakala Simões, Abílio Kamalata Numa and Estevão Pedro Kachiungo were approved to run for the presidency of UNITA, the country’s largest opposition political party, in the ambit of the internal election (congress) scheduled for November 13th and 15th. ,

The information was given last Friday, in Luanda, by the congressional spokesman Rúben Sicato, at the end of the extraordinary meeting of the party's Standing Committee.

 

Rúben Sicato indicated that the other pre-candidates, namely Rául Danda and Adalberto da Costa Júnior, have not yet met the requirements to run for UNITA's presidency.

 

Raul Danda (current vice president), said the spokesman, has eight days to confirm his militancy in UNITA for 15 years without any interruption, as outlined in the party's statutes.

 

Raúl Danda had for a period interrupted his militancy in UNITA.

 

The Mandates Committee also decided that Adalberto da Costa Júnior must confirm within three days, with evidence, the renunciation of his Portuguese nationality, in order for him to be able to run for UNITA leadership.

 

According to Rúben Sicato, no candidate can have dual nationality, as the party's president is automatically the candidate for President of the Republic (head of the list the party submits for the legislative elections, from which is also picked the presidential candidate, who is number one in that list).

 

Moreover, the country’s law also forbids holders of dual nationality to run for President of the Republic.

 

In the meantime, the Standing Committee appointed Mrs Albertina Ngolo to act temporarily as chair of the party's parliamentary group, as Adalberto da Costa Júnior, the party’s whip, is involved in the internal electoral process.

 

The 13th Ordinary Congress of UNITA is to be held under the motto “Patriotism, Cohesion and Citizenship”.

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