Angola's electoral body hails citizens' civility on voting day

Luanda, Angola (PANA) - Angola's National Electoral Commission (CNE) has congratulated the people of the country for their 'civility' during the country's election 31 August.

CNE chairman André da Silva Neto said on Saturday that the citizens exercised their civic right in an orderly manner during the electoral process aimed an consolidating democracy.

He said while CNE faced some constraints during the elections, that did not endanger the polls.

The electoral chief also congratulated and thanked polling stations staff, logistics supervisors and operators of IT system, among others, who contributed to the holding of the first
phase of the elections.

The provisional results of the elections are expected to be published starting Saturday, with the full results expected to be announced within 15 days.

Angola went to the polls on Friday for the third time since the country's independence in 1975 and the second time since the end of a long-drawn civil war in 2002.

The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) is widely expected to retain its majority in the country’s national assembly, paving the way for President José Eduardo Dos Santos, now in office for 33 years, to remain in office.

In the last elections in 2008, the MPLA won 191 of the national assembly’s 220 seats.

Angola's new 2010 constitution eliminated direct presidential elections, meaning that whoever leads the majority party in the national assembly will also be the President.
-0- PANA SEG 1Sept2012