Angola elects MPs and president as dos Santos bows out

Voting centers open across Angola as people cast ballots to elect lawmakers, a process that by law will result in the picking of a new president.

Long serving Jose Eduardo dos Santos, 74, will be handing over to a new president after the polls. He came to power in 1979 and has ruled the oil-rich former Portuguese colony since.

Whichever of the six contesting parties that gets the highest number of seats in the 200-seat parliament has its leader being named president. This is according to a 2010 law that allowed presidents to be elected based on parliamentary majority representation.

There are about 9 million voters expected to vote and six parties are involved in the process. The ruling MPLA, main opposition UNITA, CASA-CE (a breakaway faction of UNITA). The other parties in the race FNLA and PRS and APN – a party born only 18 months ago.

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Source: AfricaNews