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WORLD NEWS Thursday 24 augusT 2017

Angola votes for 1st new president in nearly 4 decades

By CHRIS TORCHIA irregularities ahead of the
Associated Press voting.Election observers
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — from other African coun-
Angolans voted Wednes- tries monitored the vote,
day in an election in which but the European Union
the defense minister is the did not send a full-fledged
front-runner to succeed observer mission because
President Jose Eduardo it said the Angolan govern-
dos Santos, who will step ment wanted to impose re-
down after 38 years in strictions, including limited
power in an oil-rich country access to polling stations
beset by widespread pov- around the country.
erty and corruption. Some voters said they were
About 9.3 million Angolans satisfied with the voting
were registered to vote process. “It was very fast,”
for the 220-member Na- Luanda voter Francisco
tional Assembly; the win- Joao Lopes told Lusa.
ning party will then select Another voter, 20-year-
the president. Dos Santos’ old Solange Moangongo,
chosen successor is Joao proudly showed an index
Lourenco, the defense finger marked with indelible
minister and a former gov- ink, a measure designed to
ernor who fought in the prevent people from trying
war against Portuguese to vote more than once.
colonial rule as well as the “I feel like I am an adult
long civil war that ended in Angola’s MPLA main ruling party candidate and defense minister, Joao Lourenco, shows his because for the first time
2002. ink-stained finger as he faces the media after casting his vote in elections in Luanda, Angola, I was able to exercise my
Dos Santos, accompanied Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. Lourenco is the front-runner to succeed President Jose Eduardo dos right to vote,” said Moan-
by wife Ana Paula dos San- Santos, who will step down after 38 years in power in an oil-rich country. gongo, according to Lusa.
tos, and Lourenco voted (AP Photo/Bruno Fonseca) “I hope that my vote will
separately in Luanda, the used state machinery ing that most media cover- campaign. Opposition par- make a difference in these
capital, reported the state- ahead of the election, not- age focused on the MPLA ties have said there were elections.”q
run Agencia Angola Press.
The main opposition lead- Powerful typhoon kills at least 3 in Macau
er, Isaias Samakuva of the
UNITA party, cast his ballot
at a university in a Luanda By KELVIN CHAN said the storm made land- Flooding and injuries were ricane signal, the highest
suburb. Associated Press fall around noon in the reported in Hong Kong, level, for the first time in five
Minor flaws in the voting HONG KONG (AP) — A Pearl River Delta city of Zhu- which lies across the water years.
process included delays in powerful typhoon caused hai in the neighboring prov- 64 kilometers (40 miles) from By midday, Hato was pack-
the opening of some poll- at least three deaths ince of Guangdong. Macau, but there were no ing maximum sustained
ing stations, especially in Wednesday in Macau, ac- Thousands of people were reports of deaths. winds of 126 kilometers (78
remote areas, said Andre cording to local authorities evacuated from parts of In Hong Kong, Hato forced miles) per hour, with gusts
da Silva Neto, president of in the Chinese gambling the mainland coast ahead the closure of business- of up to 207 kph (129 mph)
the election commission. enclave. Three men, aged of the storm’s arrival, Chi- es, government offices, on some outlying islands.
The peaceful election, 30, 45 and 62, were killed in na’s official Xinhua News schools and the stock mar- The No. 10 signal has only
however, could serve as falls and accidents related Agency reported. ket, leaving the city’s nor- been hoisted 14 other times
“an example to follow in to the heavy rain and gust- Train services were can- mally bustling streets ee- since 1946, or one for every
those countries where, es- ing winds from Typhoon celed, fishing boats re- rily quiet. Airlines canceled 72 storms, according to the
pecially here in Africa, we Hato, and two other peo- turned to harbor and more 450 flights and ferry opera- Hong Kong Observatory.
constantly find that elec- ple were listed as missing, than 4,000 fish farmers tors halted commuter ser- The last time it went up
toral processes are trans- Macau’s Government In- and their families came to vices and routes to Macau was for Typhoon Vicente
formed into battlefields. formation Bureau said. shore, Xinhua said. Waves and cities in the delta. in 2012. The observatory
Unnecessary deaths and The typhoon came within up to 10 meters (33 feet) Hato’s fierce gales brought warned residents to be
unnecessary damage,” 60 kilometers (37 miles) of high were expected in the down trees, overturned prepared for destructive
said the election chief, ac- the nearby financial cen- South China Sea, the agen- trash cans and blew out winds, possible flooding
cording to the Portuguese ter of Hong Kong before cy said. Hato knocked out windows on skyscrapers, and landslips, and advised
news agency Lusa. heading westward into power in Macau, including raining shattered glass onto people to stay away from
Angolan rights activists mainland China, where it at its famed casinos and the streets below. low-lying areas because
have alleged that the rul- was gradually weakening. a hospital, where backup Weather authorities in Hong storm surges could cause
ing MPLA party unfairly China’s weather service generators kicked in. Kong raised the No. 10 hur- severe flooding.q