Angola dismisses vote complaints José Eduardo dos Santos
José Eduardo dos Santos

José Eduardo dos Santos

LUANDA. — Angola’s National Elections Commission (CNE) has dismissed complaints by opposition parties that questioned provisional results declaring the ruling party to be the winner of the August 23 vote.

Portuguese news agency Lusa reported on Wednesday that the election commission concluded that opposition complaints of alleged irregularities were aimed at disrupting the “stability of the electoral process”.

The commission last month said the ruling MPLA party won the national election, but lost ground to the opposition in the oil-rich southern African nation.

The results set the stage for Defence Minister Joao Lourenço to replace president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has ruled for 38 years and is expected to remain head of the ruling party. President-elect Lourenço will be sworn in as Angola’s third president later this month.

The CNE has also said the country displayed political and democratic maturity in the conduct of the August 23 elections. In declaring final results of the election, head of the CNE, Andre da Silva Neto said: “Political and democratic maturity of the Angolan people charmed the world.”

The former Portuguese colony voted to elect a new leader for the first time in close to 40 years. The ruling MPLA was announced winner with over 61 percent.

The MPLA also swept majority of seats in the legislature, as the party secured 150 seats, against main opposition UNITA’s 51 seats. The other parties shared the remaining 29 seats. Meanwhile, outgoing Angolan president has received praise from his Congolese counterpart, Denis Sassou Nguesso, the ruling MPLA have said.

A message accompanying a photo posted on the MPLA’s Twitter handle read: “President Dennis Sassou Nguesso pays homage to José Eduardo dos Santos, for his deeds for peace in Africa.”

Dos Santos (75) bows out as president after 38 years in charge of the former Portuguese colony. Former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano also congratulated dos Santos.

Chissano, who served as president between 1986 to 2005 said, “President dos Santos deserves all the praise, because he turned a country ruined by war into a prosperous nation, introducing, in time, the necessary reforms, especially in the diversification of the economy,” he was quoted by the Angolan news agency. — AP/Africa News/HR.

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