With about 85% of the boxes counted, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) had 73% of the nearly 4.9 valid votes cast, according to figures from the country's National Electoral Commission.

CNN: Angola's ruling party declared election winner

The constitution it enacted in 2010 means that Angola's next president will be chosen not by popular vote, but by the ruling party, which since independence in 1975 has been the MPLA (or Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola).

ECONOMIST: The sound of dissent in oil-rich Angola

The ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) won the country's first multi-party general election for 16 years, getting 80% of votes cast to 10% for the main opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).

ECONOMIST: Politics this week