Angola's ruling party leads in election

election

LUANDA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Angola's ruling party, the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola, has gained 51.07 percent of the votes already counted for the Aug. 24 general elections, the National Electoral Commission (CNE) announced Thursday.

The announcement came as votes from more than 97 percent of polling stations across the country have been counted, according to the CNE.

The largest opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, garnered 44.05 percent of votes, the CNE said.

CNE spokesman Lucas Quilundo said that at a time when 97.3 percent of polling stations had been scrutinized, there would be no substantial changes in the final results.

Angolan voters went to the polls Wednesday to elect the country's president and members of the National Assembly. Seven political parties and a coalition contested this year's general election, the fifth of its kind since democratic elections were first introduced in the country in 1992.