Angolan Ruling Party’s Lead Narrows Ahead of Vote, Poll Shows
- MPLA’s lead over Unita has narrowed to 7 percentage points
- Outcome of contest still highly uncertain, Afrobarometer says
Adalberto Costa Junior, Unita’s leader
Photographer: Osvaldo Silva/AFP/Getty Images
The Angolan ruling party’s lead over the main opposition has narrowed to 7 percentage points ahead of a general election scheduled for August, an opinion poll showed.
The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, or MPLA, which has held power for 47 years, had the support of 29% of 1,200 respondents surveyed Feb. 9 to March 8 by research company Afrobarometer, while 22% said they would back the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, or Unita. Almost half declined to express a preference, making it impossible to predict the outcome of the election, Afrobarometer said. A similar poll in 2019 showed 38% support for the MPLA and just 13% for Unita.