Angola

Unita criticises voting process as ruling party prepares for victory

Article published on the 2008-09-08 Latest update 2008-09-08 08:30 TU

Isaias Samakuva votes on Friday
(Photo: Reuters)

Polling in Angola's first legislative elections since the end of the civil war has been criticised by opposition parties while observers have described the election as generally fair. With counting almost complete, the ruling MPLA looks set to win a landslide victory.

Angola's main opposition party the Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita) said on Sunday that the election had seen irregularities. It has lodged a complaint with the national election commission and is threatening to take up a legal process in the constitutional court.

With almost 70 per cent of votes counted, the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) has taken four-fifths of the vote, according to the country's electoral body. Unita took just over ten per cent, losing ground in the provinces of Huambo, Bie and Benguela.

Unita also lost to a new political party, the Party for Social Revolution (PRS),j in three provinces. The PRS also said the voting had been "not transparent" and described it as "corrupted".

Speaking to RFI, Unita leader Isaias Samakuva said there had been "polling stations that were not on the list of polling stations". 

"How can we say the results reflect the will of the people?" he asked.

Samakuva said "the president of the national electoral commission said there were mistakes and apologised". The opposition leader said that outside the capital there were "several irregularities in the provinces as well".

Former colonial rule Portugal on Sunday welcomed the first elections since the end of Angola's civil war in 2002. It acknowledged however "logistical problems" while the Community of Portugese-speaking Countries said its observers in the country considered the polling "free, fair and transparent."