Angola's ruling party wins five more years of power

Source: AP

The ruling party of Angola's president, José Eduardo dos Santos, was assured of another five years in office after it won 74% of the national vote in elections on Friday.

With 73% of the votes counted, the state election commission said on Sunday that the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which has been in power for 32 years, had gained a large majority. The MPLA will remain in control of Angola's 220-seat legislature, although its margin of victory is down from the 82% that it won in 2008.

The largest opposition party, Unita, won 18% of the vote, nearly twice its share from 2008. Newcomer party CASA-CE gained 4.6%. Both opposition parties criticised the elections for not being free and fair.

The former Portuguese colony of 21 million people is Africa's second largest oil producer and, according to a diplomatic observer, the elections were largely peaceful and relatively well-organised.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/02/angola-ruling-party-wins-power