Angola's ruling party claims victory, opposition leader rejects results

FILE PHOTO - Locals vote during the general election in Cacuaco, a suburb of the capital, Luanda, Angola August 24, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

LUANDA (Reuters) -The party that has ruled Angola continuously for nearly 50 years claimed victory on Friday in this week's election, after the electoral commission put its share of the vote at 51%, but the leader of the main opposition coalition rejected the results.

Fewer than half of Angola's registered voters turned out for Wednesday's election, which now looks certain to give President Joao Lourenco a second five-year term and extend the rule of the MPLA, which has governed the southern African oil producer since independence from Portugal in 1975.