President stresses Constitutional Court’s role in strengthening of Rule of Law

Angolan head of State João Lourenço Friday described the institutionalisation of the Constitutional Court (TC) as crucial for the strengthening of the Democratic State and the Rule of Law in the country.

In his address, delivered at the opening ceremony of the conference on the 15 years of the existence of TC, João Lourenço considered the strengthening of the Democratic State and the Rule of Law in the country a permanent and irreversible process.

João Lourenço said the “democracy is not a perfect and completed political system but a building in process of permanent construction that requires a political and democratic culture and continued efforts for the improvement of the institutions”.

The president said that the contemporary demands require change, permanent adaptation and entails the adoption of an increasingly responsible stance in face of the challenges that the circumstance imposes.

He noted that with the achievement of peace and national reconciliation it was possible to reach the desired political stability and to retrieve the constitutional normality, which is crucial for the effective institutionalisation of the Constitutional Court, an essential organ of the Angolan judicial organisation.

He stated that the approval of the Organic Law of the TC, in 2008, was decisive for the introduction of the necessary premises for the implementation of the democratic political system.

It also contributed to the increase of the recognition of the guarantees of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizens, as well as the enshrine of the basic principles of the market economy.

João Lourenço said it was unanimous that the institutionalisation of the Constitutional Court represented an important milestone in the construction and consolidation of the democratic State in Angola, in the defence of the Constitution and in the preservation of the integrity of the legal and constitutional order.

He reinforced the conviction that the construction of Democratic State of Law is a process that results from the history of political and constitutional practice, which includes the holding of periodic, free and fair elections, the respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms and guarantees of citizens and the obligation to comply with Court decisions.

The respect for judicial decisions is fundamental for Democratic State and the Rule of Law, said the president, stating that all citizens, companies, political parties and public and private institutions should comply with this principle.

He added that obedience to the law is essential to maintain legal stability and security, avoiding conflicts and guaranteeing peaceful coexistence between citizens and institutions.

The president considered it essential to guarantee the application of the law in an impartial, fair and objective manner, interpreting and applying legal norms in accordance with the evidence presented and the guiding legal principles, without neglecting the use of the competent mechanisms of appeal by those who believe they have been wronged.

President Lourenço paid tribute to the seven founding Judges Councillors of the TC and other staff members “for their commitment to the assertion of the institution in the context of Angolan justice in defence of the Constitution and the fundamental rights and guarantees of citizens”.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)