Vote counting begins in Angola, provisional results show MPLA ahead

Adalberto Costa Junior, leader of Angola's main opposition party UNITA, addresses supporters during the party's final rally at Cazenga, outside the capital Luanda, Angola, August 22, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

LUANDA (Reuters) -Provisional results on Thursday from ballot counting in Angola's election indicate the ruling party MPLA, in power for nearly five decades, holds a strong lead over the main opposition UNITA, which said the initial outcome was not reliable.

With 33% of the votes counted, the National Electoral Commission (CNE) said the first provisional results showed the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led since 2017 by President Joao Lourenco, garnered 60.65% of the vote.