Opposition parties challenge MPLA win in court

Three out of the five Angolan opposition parties that contested the 23 August elections on Friday filed formal appeals at the Constitutional Court demanding the annulment of the results that secured a massive victory for the ruling MPLA party. Unita, the FNLA and the PRS filed their petitions alleging widespread irregularities, notes a report on the Africa News site. 'In 15 provinces (out of 18), the electoral law was violated and we demand the invalidation of the results published by the National Electoral Commission (CNE) in order to re-establish the truth,' said Unita’s campaign director, Ruben Sikato. The electoral commission announced the final results on Wednesday with the ruling MPLA winning the polls by 61.07% of the votes and a parliamentary majority with 150 out of the 220 seats.