Translated from Portuguese. The Portuguese version prevails. Ler em português
Your Excellency, Mr President of the Republic;
Your Excellency, Madam Vice-President of the Republic;
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and of Government and their representatives invited to this ceremony;
Honourable Judges of the Superior Courts of the Republic of Angola;
Most worthy Attorney General of the Republic of Angola;
Your Excellencies, Senior Officers of the Defence and Security Forces of the Republic of Angola;
Your Excellencies, Representatives of the Religious and Ecclesiastical Bodies;
Your Excellencies, members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Angola;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear citizens of the Angolan Nation.
All power vested by the State has as its counterpart responsibility towards its people!
Continuing the recent but noble tradition that has taken shape in the solemn investiture ceremonies of the Highest Magistrate of the Nation, in accordance with the will of the Sovereign People, it now falls to me to convey the following message to His Excellency the President of the Republic:
Angola is an independent, Democratic State governed by the Rule of Law, which seeks to build a free society based on peace, progress and social justice, and whose political legitimacy rests primarily on popular sovereignty, in accordance with the Constitution.
The deepening of these values, which constitute the foundations of our State, leads us to the periodic collective exercise of holding elections, based on free, universal, equal, direct and secret suffrage, leading to the choice of the President of the Republic and of the Members of the National Assembly.
Your Excellency, Mr President of the Republic
Your Excellencies;
The Angolan People expressed their will in the General Elections of 24 August last, and there is no one who can fail to hear the People in a democratic State, Country or Nation when they decide to raise their Sovereign Voice! The People are the central element, and so, unless they are held in the highest regard, it will make little sense to aspire to a great collective future. It was the People who brought you here, and it is by their will, expressed at the ballot box, that you will carry this undertaking forward.
To His Excellency, the President of the Republic;
Most Esteemed Fellow Citizens;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Electoral processes are, in essence, competitive, and that is how we want them, for the sake of a vibrant democracy, which only shines if the will is freely expressed and, consequently, respected by all.
However, all competition in society presupposes rules and their respective limits, which must be accepted and respected by all, at their different stages.
The “electoral competition” is over; therefore, now is the time for us to draw the consequences of the result.
This act of investiture concludes yet another normal cycle of renewal of the democratic legitimacy of the highest constitutional mandate of representation of the People for the next five years, with citizen João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço being returned to office as President of the Republic.
It is, therefore, the representation of all Angolan men and women, regardless of their sex, age, religious creed, party affiliation, race, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.
The President of the Republic is the true representative and defender of the noblest interests of Angola, regardless of the legitimate political and party preferences of each individual.
No office demands greater responsibility in leading national unity than that of President of the Republic!
We therefore hope, Mr President, that in this second term of office you will demonstrate nothing less than the greatest commitment to national unity, for we are all children of the same Homeland, one and indivisible: “One People and One Nation”!
To His Excellency, the President of the Republic;
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;
In Angola, as our Constitution expresses, the President of the Republic, in addition to being Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Angolan Armed Forces, is also the Holder of Executive Power or, to put it more simply, the Head of Government.
However, in practice, it is not always easy to distinguish each of the sides of this triangle.
In the name of the finest republican ethics, it is essential to highlight the importance of the personality of the highest office-holder of the Nation, as Head of State, responsible for building a society founded on values that give priority to the interest of the State over party or group interests.
To His Excellency, the President of the Republic;
Most esteemed fellow citizens;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Elections are not blank cheques from the People to the winners!
I therefore take this sublime opportunity to address you, Mr President, because, by virtue of the highest functions in the service of the State and of the Nation that you will perform, the responsibility for guaranteeing the preservation and maintenance of our social contract will be, first and foremost, yours.
Since Elections are not an end in themselves, it is imperative to understand that democracy must be expressed, above all, in the consistent and responsible action of those who win them. Accordingly, they must always and above all regard themselves as true public servants, in scrupulous respect for the Constitution of the Republic of Angola, for the laws in force, for the programme endorsed at the polls and for the higher interests of the Nation.
The high levels of abstention that the last election regrettably revealed must be reduced, renewing the People’s confidence in their role in the conduct of the affairs and destiny of our Country. But this will only be possible through the education and political awareness of citizens (especially the youngest), as well as through the broadening and fostering of public spaces for plural discussion, with healthy respect for differences of opinion.
Mr President of the Republic,
Dear fellow citizens;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
It is worth highlighting, especially in the current context, the elevation of the human being, of the citizen, as the primary holder of all political power existing in the State and, consequently, the starting point and end point of all political action.
It is these men and women, human beings on an equal footing, who legitimise, by delegation, every other existing power, including that of the President of the Republic.
The fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, as well as human rights in general, constitute a natural limit on each and every power existing in the State, including the power that has been vested in you today, Mr President of the Republic.
This being an undeniable truth, no less true is the acceptance and consideration of the family as the fundamental social root, which must be protected and cherished, inasmuch as it is the cradle in which all the men and women of our Country are born and on which depends how auspicious our collective future will be, or can be.
Your Excellency, Mr President of the Republic;
Most worthy members of the Angolan Homeland;
The People, the Lord and Sovereign of All of Us, the original holders of the sovereignty and power that have today been conferred upon you, have further expressed that you, Mr President, must never allow the mere rule of force to prevail over the rule of justice. And this concept must be much broader, also encompassing social justice, that is, the full self-realisation of Angolans as social beings.
Mr President of the Republic, Angola cannot be postponed. Angola must not continue to be a mere dream! It is urgent that it should become a joyful reality, even for the humblest of Angolans.
It is necessary to continue with the structural reforms in various sectors and areas of the Country’s life, aiming not only at the general well-being, but also thinking about and creating, now, the best conditions for the generations to come.
Your Excellency, President of the Republic, I feel compelled to ask you not to give up on Angola and on Angolans, including those who may have temporarily given up on Angola, believing that the Country has given up on them. Angola will never give up on any of its children, just as you, Mr President, can never do so. Be the President of all of us: of those who voted for you, of those who did not vote for you, of those who voted for no one and of those who did not vote.
It is more than time for us to purge the ghosts, real or imaginary, that seek to divide us and drive us apart.
It is more than time to foster the great debates on our common destiny and to draw lessons from them.
We are all children of this great Nation!
May the results of the election provide the mortar needed to restore and consolidate all the bonds severed by decades of disunity, which is now a thing of the past.
Mr President, for the good of Angola and of Angolans, we wish you a fruitful presidential term, with much peace and good health, for yourself, for your family and for all our People.
Blessings upon Angola!
Blessings upon all Angolan men and women, now and always!
Thank you very much!