Angola’s MPLA leads amidst protests

  1. Posted on Monday 8 September 2008 - 09:29
    accreporter
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    Kent Mensah, AfricaNews editor in Accra, Ghana Photo: Mike Legurr
    Angola's ruling MPLA party has taken a commanding lead in the first parliamentary elections in 16 years, latest results show. With 35% of the votes counted, it had received 81%, the electoral commission said. But the opposition UNITA said on Sunday it was heading for court to dispute the results.
    Angola_Mike_Legurra_Luanda
    UNITA, which has polled 10% of the counted votes so far, is demanding a re-run in Luanda, saying the voting in the capital was chaotic, the BBC reported. "That's right," UNITA leader Isaias Samakuva said at a news conference when asked if he was challenging the validity of the poll. He said the voting problems suggested the final results might not "rigorously" reflect the will of the Angolan people.

    Voting began on Friday, September 5 but was extended into Saturday because of delays and confusion at polling stations in Luanda province, home to 21 percent of Angola's 8.3 million registered voters

    Observers’ views

    An African observer mission said the elections had been credible. According to AFP news agency, observers from the regional grouping, Southern African Development Community (SADC), said the vote had been "transparent and credible".

    "The SADC mission congratulates the people of Angola on peaceful, free, transparent and credible elections which reflect the will of the people," John Kunene of the observer mission said.

    Luisa Morgantini, head of the EU observer mission in Angola, blamed "woeful organisation" for the problems and said that a failure to provide voter registration lists at polling stations was a violation of the country's electoral laws.

    She added that some election officials had failed to show up at some polling stations and that there was a shortage of the indelible ink used to mark voters' fingers and prevent multiple voting.

    Some eight million voters are registered in the country - more than a quarter of whom live in the capital's overcrowded conditions. The MPLA has ruled Angola since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975.

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