Election Watch

ELECTION RESULTS (September 1992-December 1992)

Angola: Results announced by UN officials two weeks after Angola's September 29-30 presidential elections gave incumbent José Eduardo dos Santos of the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) 49.57 percent of the vote (just shy of the 50 percent needed to avert a runoff) and his main rival, Jonas Savimbi of the Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), 40.07 percent. In elections for the country's 223-seat parliament, the MPLA won 129 seats and UNITA 70. Smaller parties divided 21 seats, and 3 remain open. UNITA alleged that there had been electoral fraud, and the elections were followed by violent clashes and the threat of renewed civil war. The presidential runoff has not yet been scheduled.

Cameroon: In the country's first multiparty presidential elections on October 11, official government figures gave incumbent Paul Biya of the Cameroonian People's Democratic Movement a 39.98 percent plurality and his third five-year term as head of state. Runner-up John Fru Ndi of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) polled 35.97 percent, and Mai'gari Bello Boúba of the National Union for Democracy and Progress won 19.22 percent. The SDF accused the government of electoral fraud, releasing results showing Fru Ndi to be the winner, and international observers questioned the validity of the official outcome. Nonetheless, Biya was inaugurated on November 3.

Central African Republic: Presidential elections held on October 25 were riddled with irregularities and then declared invalid when it became apparent that incumbent General André-Dieudonné Kolingba had lost badly. Though his term expired on November 28, Kolingba extended his tenure for three months, and presidential and legislative elections were rescheduled for February 14.

Djibouti: Presidential and legislative elections were scheduled for December 18. Results will be reported in our next issue.

Estonia: In elections on September 20, the Fatherland coalition won 29 of 101 parliamentary seats and dominates the new government. Fatherland presidential candidate, former foreign minister Lennart Meri, placed second in the popular vote but became the country's new president after winning a runoff ballot in the parliament on October 5. For a fuller accounting of the presidential and legislative results, see pp. 118-20 above.

Georgia: Nine months after armed rebels drove out president Zviad Gamsakhurdia, former Soviet foreign minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze was elected by popular vote to the office of chairman of parliament on October 11. Shevardnadze, who ran unopposed, received over 90 percent of the vote. According to preliminary results, 25 of 36 competing parties won at least one seat in the 234-member parliament, and no party won more than 29 seats.

Ghana: In presidential elections on November 3, incumbent Jerry Rawlings of the National Democratic Congress Party claimed 58.6 percent of the vote, besting challenger Albert Adu Boahen of the New Patriotic Party, who won 30.1 percent. Allegations of unfairness were made by many Ghanaians, but some international observer groups pronounced the elections free and fair. Parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for December 8, were postponed to December 29, and results will be reported in our next issue.

Guinea: Legislative elections were scheduled for December 27, but were expected to be postponed until the spring of 1993.

Guinea-Bissau: Presidential elections set for November 15 were postponed and not rescheduled. Legislative elections remained scheduled for December 13; results will be reported in our next issue.

Guyana: On October 5, in the first free elections in three decades, former prime minister Cheddi Jagan of the predominantly Indian People's Progressive Party (PPP) won 53 percent of the presidential vote, defeating incumbent Desmond Hoyte of the predominantly black People's National Congress (PNC), who won 42 percent. In elections for the 65-seat unicameral National Assembly, the PPP gained 35 seats, while the PNC took 27.

Kenya: Presidential and parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for December 7, were postponed to December 29. Results will be reported in our next issue.

Kuwait: Elections were held for the relatively powerless 50-seat National Assembly on October 6, with the franchise restricted to just 13 percent of the...