Angola has first election in 16 years

LUANDA, Angola, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Angola, war-ravaged and impoverished but one of Africa's biggest oil producers, had its first parliamentary elections in 16 years Friday.

Analysts predicted a peaceful election, after six years of peace, and victory for the governing party, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, known as the MPLA, which has been in power for 33 years, the Los Angeles Times said.

More than 8 million people, nearly half of the population, are registered to vote.

The first and last time Angola voted, in 1992, the loser, rebel leader Jonas Savimbi, denounced the results and fought on for the next decade. Savimbi's group -- National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, known as UNITA -- is now the opposition.

Angola remains toward the bottom end of the U.N. index that measures living standards and poverty, ranked 162 of 177 countries. It's also rated as one of the most corrupt countries by the government watchdog group Transparency International.