London - The British government welcomed the re-election of José Eduardo dos Santos as president of Angola and his ruling MPLA party on victory in the elections held on 31 August.

This is contained in a statement signed on 12 September by the new deputy minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds.

Through the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) the British Government welcomes the re-election of President José Eduardo dos Santos and the MPLA for his victory in the third elections in Angola.

 According to Mark Simmonds, the British government welcomes the re-election of President dos Santos and his party MPLA for their success in the third elections in Angola and commends the Angolan people, political parties and civil society on the environment of peace in which ran the process.

 It notes that despite concerns about the electoral process, such as access to the media, problems related to the lists of voters and lack of timely accreditation for election observers, the commitment of the Angolan authorities to taking measures to address these concerns is commendable.

 According to the statement, this is also an important step to further strengthen democratic  institutions in Angola and will help build confidence in future elections.

 The Deputy Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds, who replaced Henry Belingham in the last government reshuffle undertaken by Prime Minister David Cameron also said that the
British Government this eager to further strengthen the bilateral relationship with the Government of Angola, and to a greater engagement with the Angolan people.