From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS: ANGOLA: SMOOTH VOTING IMPRESSES OBS
Date: 9 Oct 92 01:33:52 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Originator: barnhart@gagme



Topic 910       ANGOLA: SMOOTH VOTING IMPRESSES OBS
newsdesk        ips.englibrary  12:03 am  Oct  4, 1992

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

Area: Asia, eastern
Title: ANGOLA: SMOOTH VOTING IMPRESSES OBSERVERS, ORGANIGERS


luanda, oct 1 (ips/vicki finkel) -- as angolans eagerly await
the results of their two days of voting, the polls organisers
and observers say they have been impressed with the smooth
running of voting process.

a national holiday was declared for the two days of voting --
tuesday and wednesday -- and high turnouts were recorded
throughout the country's 18 provinces.

''i'm very satisfied with the results (of the electoral
organisation) which represent a true tribute to the angolan
people'', the director general of the elections, onofre santos,
said at the end of the voting tuesday night.

thirty of the nearly 6,000 polling stations failed to open
by the end of the first day, tuesday, due to logistical
problems, told ips thursday.

between 60 and 70 percent of the 4.8 registered voters voted
on the first day.

''everyone expressed a strong desire to vote on the first
day'', jose francisco junior, head of the legal and information
department for the namibe (southern angola) provincial electoral
council, told ips late wednesday.

the crowds which did assemble to vote wednesday waited
patiently and orderly to vote.

''we were very impressed and it was very important that no
one showed up to vote in a party t-shirt in accordance with the
law'', added junior.

the multi-party elections were the final stage in a 16-month
peace process begun with the signing of a cease-fire agreement
by president jose eduardo dos santos and leader of the national
union for the total independence of angola (unita), jonas
savimbi.

the agreement ended a 16-year civil war between the two
traditional rivals of this oil southern african nation of 25
million people.

''voting has been going quite well. noone has entered with
arms or in any other way violated the election law'', one of the
800 international observers told ips wednesday outside a voting
both in namibe, southern angola. (more/ips)


angola: smooth (2)

outside the town of chibia, 120 km east of namibie, about 26
soldiers of the national union for the total independence of
angola (unita), in uniforms and armed with ak-47 rifles' were
apprehended by police tuesday.

henrique arede, the u.n. coordinator for election assistance
to the angola government, told ips late wednesday the soldiers
were half a km from a voting station.

the soldiers said they had lost their way from their military
base, the nearest of which is 70 km away from chibia.

but the incident represents an anomaly from the peaceful
climate during the elections, which surprised many observers.

''i thought the situation would be 10 times worse'', says
arede. ''infact, things are too quiet''.

voters had apparently faced little intimidation, leaving the
voting areas satisfied of their vote. this was a clear
indication angolans took their first multi-party elections
seriously, refusing to divulge any hint of who they voted for.

''angolans will tell you their vote is secret. even husbands
and wives are not telling each other who they voted for'', said
arede wednesday.

however, there appears to be a palpable reservation shrouding
voters who must wait for the results of the voting -- which
begin trickling in thursday -- and any potential outbreaks from
a losing party. (end/ips/vf/apc/92)