Luanda: The former Angolan Vice-President of the Republic and former Speaker of the National Assembly, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, who died on Thursday due to illness, will be buried on Monday, the 22nd, at the Alto das Cruzes Cemetery in Luanda. The information was provided on Friday by Francisco Pereira Furtado, the coordinator of the Interministerial Commission for Funerals, during a press conference discussing the program coordinated by the executive and the family.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the Minister of State and Head of the Military House of the Presidency of the Republic revealed that an autopsy on the body of Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos was carried out on Friday. The clinical results remain confidential, reserved for the medical team, who may provide comments.
The obsequies will commence on Sunday with a wake scheduled for the late afternoon at the Executive Protocol Complex in the Praia do Bispo neighborhood. The body will be placed in a burning chamber until Monday morning. The official State funeral ceremony is set for Monday morning, starting at 9 am, featuring tributes from the family, his political party, sovereign bodies, and the President of the Republic. The burial will occur between 11 am and 12 pm at the Alto das Cruzes Cemetery.
The President of the Republic has declared a 24-hour National Mourning to be observed on December 22nd, from 00:00 to 23:59. During this period, the National Flag will be flown at half-mast across the national territory, and all festive, cultural, and recreational activities will be suspended as prescribed by law.
The Interministerial Commission has assured that all protocol and logistical requirements are in place for the ceremonies, including the potential attendance of foreign dignitaries, coordinated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos is remembered as a significant figure in Angola's political history, whose contributions were crucial to the consolidation of the Angolan State.