AFRICA/ANGOLA - President Dos Santos’ party leading in the race, being described by African analysts as “regular,” in spite of a serious lack of organization

Luanda (Agenzia Fides) – “Although we are still awaiting official results, it seems that the government’s party will win,” local Church sources from Luanda, Angola’s capital, have told Agenzia Fides. Today, September 8, the Independent Electoral Commission is scheduled to announce the final results of the elections which took place just days ago (see Fides 5/9/2008). According to electoral law, the Commission has 15 days after voting booths are closed until it must publish the final results.
According to the partial information published until now (counting 60% of the votes), the MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola), in power since the country’s independence in 1975, has obtained 82% of the votes, versus the 10.5% of the UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola), the main opposition party. The nearly 8 million voters will also chose 220 members of Parliament.
The elections have been marked by setbacks and problems, so much so that several voting areas in Luanda did not open until late morning on the 5th, and forced authorities to prolong the voting until Saturday, the 6th. In spite of the setbacks and disorganization, the observers of the Economic Community in Central Africa and that of Southern Africa defined the elections as “regular and honest,” recognizing the “political maturity of the Angolan people.” The Union of Portuguese-Speaking Nations also declared them “regular.” Observers from the European Union , who initially criticized the inefficiency of the Angolan voting machine, made an official declaration on how the elections should unfold.
“At the moment, the absence of violence is a cause for joy, as well as the participation of the Angolans in the vote. However, there is still a relatively high amount of blank votes (171,000 as of September 7) and null votes (211,000), which could lead to believe that there is a lack of interest or lack of preparation on the part of local voters,” Fides’ source mentioned.
The UNITA, which in the elections of 1992 obtained 34% of the vote, has only received 10.5% of the vote and has even lost in areas with a strong electoral presence in the country’s central regions of Bie, Huambo, and Benguela. The opposition party announced that it will take certain measures, although its leader, Samakuva Isaias, assured that “before taking any action, all the elements should be taken into account.” (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 8/9/2008)