Angola election: The MPLA defeats Unita in keenly contested presidential poll

The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola has won another five years in power, days after the much anticipated election was conducted in the oil rich country.

The Angolan Electoral umpire announced that the MPLA, under President João Lourenço, received 51.2% of last week’s election. While its closest rival, Adalberto Costa Júnior of Unita, had 44%.

Mr Lourenço became president in 2017 after long-standing leader José Eduardo dos Santos, who was buried on Sunday earlier, stood down

The vote was the tightest in Angola’s history and opposition Unita said it was considering contesting the outcome.

The party cited discrepancies between the commission’s count and the main opposition coalition’s own tally.

Mr Lourenço described the result as a “vote of confidence” that gave the party the responsibility to “promote dialogue and consultation”.

The MPLA, a former liberation movement, has ruled Angola since independence from Portugal in 1975. But it has seen a steady decline in support in recent elections.

The MPLA, in power for nearly five decades, has faced criticism over high levels of poverty and unemployment, despite the abundance of oil wealth at the disposal of the country.