An unofficial tally exposes Angola’s dodgy election

Angolans thirsting for real change, the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (), which has ruled the country since 1975, made sure by hook or by crook that the elections on August 24th would give the party and its incumbent president, João Lourenço, another five years in power. Even so, the official result—51% for the against 44% for its eternal opposition, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ()—was closer than ever before.Indeed, civil-society groups, using an unofficial parallel tallying system, say the true result was a tie—or even a victory for , which duly published a score of 49.5% to 48.2% in its favour. Sure enough, the -packed constitutional court dismissed ’s claims of rigging. But even the official result, however doctored, was a slap in the’s face.