Angola's parliamentary election began at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) on Friday, in which 10 political parties and four coalitions are contesting for 220 parliamentary seats.

More than 8 million voters have been registered for the parliamentary elections, the first ones since the 27-year civil war ended in the country in 2002. According to the National Electoral Commission (CNE), they will cast their votes at 12,274 polling stations across the southwestern African country.

At a polling station near Rua Rainha Nginga in downtown Luanda, peoples are patiently lining up for casting their votes just after 7 a.m.

A voter who gave his name Lewis told Xinhua that he was happy because the holding of parliamentary elections in Angola after the civil war ended in 2002 means "Angola starts to take a normal path like many other democratic countries."

As a member of the ruling party the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), Lewis said he is sure the MPLA will win the elections.

The Angolan government has dispatched 70,000 police officers to various parts of the country to guarantee security during the elections.

In addition, the government also reinforced the traffic and public order police units and established an emergency force to intervene in any disorder during the polls.

To show the world that Angola pursues democracy, the government also invited 1,200 foreign observers from 17 international organizations and 10 countries to follow up the elections which are scheduled to close at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT).

All the polling stations started working at 5 a.m. (0400 GMT) to sort out the electoral materials and other relevant work and all eligible voters should cast their votes not later than 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) on the election date.

Ten parties and four coalitions in the southwestern African country will run in the elections with 5,198 candidates fighting for 220 parliamentary seats.

Ahead of the race, the parties and coalitions have peacefully carried out one-month electoral campaign across the southwestern African country.

At the mass rally in Kicolo, Luanda, on Wednesday, MPLA President Jose Eduardo dos Santos said his party "will work toward the improvement of human development by creating more jobs and launching more activities in the domains of agriculture, heath, sports and housing, among others."

Dos Santos, also Angolan president, guaranteed that his party will continue promoting actions dignifying and benefiting ex- combatants, veterans of the motherland and their families, including those of opposition parties.

The other 13 contesting rivals have also proclaimed the close of their campaigns peacefully, calling for national unity to secure the holding of the parliamentary elections in a peaceful, transparent and democratic way.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2008)