Angolans are heading to the polls today in a general election marking the end of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos 38-year rule.
The ruling MPLA party is almost certain to win the election, opening the way for Mr Dos Santos to hand power to his chosen successor, Defence Minister Joao Lourenco, analysts say.
The MPLA has ruled Angola since independence from Portugal in 1975, while Mr Dos Santos has been in office since September 1979, making him the world’s second-longest serving president behind Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea.
The young have however very different priorities to their elders when they are going to the ballot box.
The priority previously has been on stability because Angola went through a 27-year civil war which only ended in 2002.
But the young people I met have been telling me that they want one thing – jobs.
They have a lot of voting power – the 2014 census shows that the majority of the population is below 35.
After the war, Angola was one of the fastest growing economies in the world because the country is rich in oil. But when the global oil price dropped, it affected the whole economy.
