Angola votes Friday for only the second time since its civil war ended a decade ago, with the incumbent ruling party expected to sweep the polls.So they're a legal one-party state...
The nation has transformed from one of the world's most desolate places to a fast-growing oil economy that sees itself as a regional player.
As the election nears, brightly coloured party flags drape across Luanda's streets, while on the sidewalks, volunteers like university student Jaime Cuanga stand with an iPad ready to help voters.
| From many of the billboards beams the face of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. In power for nearly 33 years, Dos Santos takes credit for guiding the country through the war and presiding over the peacetime boom. |
Despite the modern sheen, only about one quarter of Angolans have access to electricity. Those disparities, between the promises of Luanda's new luxury high-rises and the shacks that sprawl out from the city, lie at the heart of the campaign.
From many of the billboards beams the face of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, with his ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party's slogan: "Angola, growing more and sharing better."
In power for nearly 33 years, Dos Santos takes credit for guiding the country through the war and presiding over the peacetime boom.
Voters are expected to reward him and his party for the post-war boom with a fresh five-year term in office.
Under a new constitution the country has abolished direct presidential elections, and the leader of the party that wins the parliamentary vote automatically becomes the head of state.
Normally Dos Santos, who turns 70 on Tuesday, avoids public appearances. But in recent weeks he's travelled through the vast provinces opening train stations, courts and clinics to showcase his government's work.
Life has undoubtedly improved. An Angolan born in 1980 could expect a short, impoverished and probably violent life.
But life expectancy of barely 40 in 1980 has grown to more than 51 years now, with most of the gain made since the war ended.
Some of the world's most heavily mined lands have been cleared. Aside from a small separatist movement in the oil-rich enclave of Cabinda, fighting has ended.
The economy is expected to grow by eight percent this year, and per capita the gross domestic product in 2009 was nearly $1,900 -- triple what it was in 2000, according to UN data.
Yet just over half (55 percent) of the population still lives in abject poverty, many without running water, sanitation or electricity.
Angola's new elites include a massively wealthy class, often close to the ruling clique, who have amassed fortunes built on oil and diamonds.
With more than half the nation younger than 18, many Angolans had little direct experience of war, especially in the capital Luanda where discontent among the youth has erupted into a small but sustained series of protests since last year.