Angola's largest opposition party has said it accepts the results of last week's parliamentary elections. Unita congratulated the ruling MPLA on a landslide victory in the country's first elections for 16 years. With about 80% of votes counted, the MPLA have 82% of the vote and the Unita 10.5%, said the electoral commission. The commission also rejected a demand by Unita for the poll to be re-run in the capital Luanda, saying there was no evidence of alleged fraud. "The leadership of Unita accepts the results of the election and congratulates the MPLA," said Unita leader, Isaias Samakuva. An MPLA spokesman has said that the results were in line with the expectations of the party. Norberto dos Santos told the state-owned Jornal de Angola newspaper said the party's success was due to the dedication of their supporters. "In every neighbourhood, in every village our supporters are there nearly every day like a priest at a Sunday service," he said. The elections were seen as a crucial step in the country's recovery from decades of civil war. 'Free voting' Voting passed off peacefully on Friday but there were scenes of chaos in Luanda, and reports that more than 300 polling stations did not open or lacked materials. Unita demanded a re-run in Luanda, but a commission spokesman said this request was turned down for lack of evidence. In the lead-up to the election, Unita had accused the MPLA of intimidating its supporters and dominating state media. The EU has said it would investigate claims by one observer of vote-rigging, but other observers have said the vote was transparent. The head of the EU's observer mission to Angola has stopped short of calling the elections free and fair, but said they represent an advance for democracy. "The elections were transparent (...) people voted freely and we have not seen any violence nor intimidation during the campaign," said Luisa Morgantini. Some eight million voters are registered in the country - more than a quarter of whom live in the capital. The MPLA has ruled Angola since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975 but it fought a civil war against Unita until 2002. Source: BBC