From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: ANGOLA: ELECTION RESULT SUSPENSE AS DOS SANTOS LEADS/REPEAT
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 02:20:44 GMT

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: ANGOLA: ELECTION RESULT SUSPENSE AS DOS SANTOS LEADS/REPEAT


luanda, oct 3 (ips/vicki finkel) -- as the results of angola's
first multiparty elections trickle in, angolans remain in
suspense over the verdict of the presidential and parliamentary
polls.

the capital is resuming a sense of normality and remains calm
after the two voting days (sep. 29-30) which were declared
national holidays in order to give all of the 4.8 million
registered voters a chance to cast their ballots.

one observer noted that ''you can feel a sense of reverence
that angolans have shown toward voting.''

with such gravity demonstrated by the people who flocked
into queues to cast ballots for the first time, angolans have
become participants and watchdogs in the political process.

observers are hoping that this will prevent any loser from
challenging the result through violence.

''the monster of democracy has been released, and now that
the people have experienced it the monster can not return to the
box,'' says one united nations representative in luanda.

counting of the votes began wednesday night after the close
of polls. but lack of electricity in many areas has lead to the
slow pace of returns.

with about 20 percent of the votes counted, eduardo dos
santos and his ruling movement for the people's liberation of
angola (mpla) are leading.

the national electoral council's latest figures reveals dos
santos with about 62 percent of the votes, and jonas savimbi of
the former rebel movement unita with about 30 percent. in the
parliamentaryt count, unita registers about 25 percent to the
mpla's 64 percent.

however, it is still too early to declare a clear winner. the
first results to reach the national electoral council have been from
the more accessible and mostly urban areas where the mpla has been
traditionally stronger.

most of unita's principally rural central highland heartland
has yet to be included in the electoral council's results. the
two sides still remain highly confident of their imminent
victory. (more/ips)


angola: election (2)

angolans are now strangely reserved about their choices. in
contrast to the weekend when almost everyone sported a party
t-shirt, virtually no one is wearing them anymore, and campaign
posters have also dramatically reduced in numbers.

''after the weekend i feel like i have landed on another
planet,'' says one observer.

perhaps it is the foreign journalists who are making the most
noise in the city, frustrated by the slow pace of the release of
election results. many are engaged in deferring their departures
from the southern african country in an effort to attend a
victory march in the streets.

united nations special representative to angola, margaret
anstee is also awaiting the final results. anstee stated that
she is reserving her stamp of ''free and fair'' on the elections
until the official result is divulged.

however, she, echoing the sentiments of many observers, says
it is not too early to ''congratulate the people of angola for
their dignified demonstration of their civic responsibility,
equal to that of any country in the world.''

the tranquility in the country has even been attested to by
the drop in the parallel exchange rate in the streets,
reflecting a growing confidence in the country after much
speculation about voilence during the voting.

the elections are the final stage in a peace package
initiated last year by the signing of a ceasefire agreement by
dos santos and savimbi. that accord ended the brutal 16 year
civil war which ravaged the country. (end/ips/vf/oa/92)