By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated President João Lourenço and the people of the Republic of Angola on his re-election as the President of the Republic of Angola.
Angolan President João Lourenço secured a second term in office after his MPLA party was declared the winner of the country’s election on Monday.
Sending his warmest and most sincere congratulations, Ramaphosa said the election results reflect the trust and confidence the Angolan people have in him.
“I am looking forward to working with President João Lourenço to strengthen the strong and cordial bilateral relations between our two countries, as well as in matters of mutual interest in the African continent and our region, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), ” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa said it further gives him great pleasure that the elections were conducted in a calm environment, wherein the people of Angola exercised their democratic right of electing a government of their own choosing.
The MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) won 124 of the 220 National Assembly seats. Unita (the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) finished second, with 90 seats.
The nation’s largest opposition party, Unita, gained 43.95% of the votes cast, said the CNE, the electoral commission. It was the party’s smallest margin of victory in an election.
In accordance with the Angolan constitution, the top candidate of a political party that wins the most votes is elected as president.