Polls close in Angola after peaceful general election
Angolans line up to vote on August 31, 2012 at a polling station in the outskirts of Luanda. The ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola party (MPLA) of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, which has been in power since independence 37 years ago, competed in the legislative poll against 8 other political parties, including the main opposition Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). Dos Santos promised that with a new term he would push ahead with his multi-billion-dollar drive to rebuild the country after the civil war that ended a decade ago. MPLA was widely expecting to win the elections and beat the UNITA former rebel movement, which does not have the same access to funds or the state-controlled media.
Polls in Angola closed on Friday after a peaceful general election, only the second in the country since the end of a civil war that spanned almost three decades, Al Jazeera reported.
Members of the opposition complained about voter fraud and poor turnout, according to Al Jazeera, though the Wall Street Journal reported that turnout was strong.
Voters were electing politicians to parliament, but under the Angolan constitution, which was changed last year, the leader of whichever party garners the most votes will automatically become the president, according to Al Jazeera. The win is expected to go to the current president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has held the office since 1979 and heads the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola.
But the expected win would come amid increasing dissent and public anger, according to the Wall Street Journal. An April survey of Angolan residents by Gallup ranked dos Santos last among Africa leaders in terms of job approval.
Angola is Africa's second largest producer of oil, supplying "2.9 percent of US imported oil in May and 16 percent of China’s as of July," according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Watch Al Jazeera's coverage of the polling in the video below:
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