Luanda, Angola - Aug 24, 2017
1. Polling station building
2. Various of voters, staff in polling station
3. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Luis Vales, observer from Social Democrat Portuguese Party (PSD) (starting with shot 2, ending with shot 4):
"We were in 14 polling stations and, in each one of them, there weren't any incidents. Everything was perfectly organized, with a really good methodology, from the voters' arrival to their identification and the casting of their votes. This is a sign of the maturity of Angola's democracy that we are praised to recognize and this is a good prognostic of what Angola stands for."
4. Various of voters in polling station
5. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Antonio Filipe, observer from Portuguese Communist Party:
"I had the opportunity to be here in 2008, during the general elections when a lot of people voted as well but I noticed struggles during the procedures. There's a big evolution that allowed people to vote more easily. The process was quick and the voters had all the support they needed when casting their ballots, and that could be verified by everyone. The communion, the festive mood of the people [because they were participating in the voting process] and the high level of participation shall be noted."
6. Various of voters, staff in polling station
7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Luis Ayala, Chilean Social Internationalist:
"I don't see this level of civil activism and commitment in many countries, especially from the young people who came out to vote in large numbers. This is really good news for your country and I don't know if you're capable of acknowledging it."
8. Voters, staff in polling station
9. Various of voters outside polling station
10. Various of staff, voters in polling station
11. Voters outside polling station
12.Various of voters in polling station
13. Ballot

International observers present during Angola's general election on Wednesday have praised the smooth running of the election process, and have attributed the success to the work of the National Electoral Commission.

Some 1,200 international observers oversaw the election, with 9.3 million Angolans eligible to cast their ballots at over 12,000 polling stations across the nation during Wednesday's vote.

The observers that spoke to the press were unanimous in recognizing the orderly manner in which voters went to the polling stations and recognized the civility of the voting process, hailing it as a sign of the strength of democracy in Angola.

"We were in 14 polling stations and, in each one of them, there weren't any incidents. Everything was perfectly organized, with a really good methodology, from the voters' arrival to their identification and the casting of their votes. This is a sign of the maturity of Angola's democracy that we are praised to recognize and this is a good prognostic of what Angola stands for," said Luis Vales, an observer from the Social Democrat Portuguese Party (PSD).

Antonio Filipe, an observer from the Portuguese Communist Party, praised the excellent organization of the general elections.

"I had the opportunity to be here in 2008, during the general elections when a lot of people voted as well but I noticed struggles during the procedures. There's a big evolution that allowed people to vote more easily. The process was quick and the voters had all the support they needed when casting their ballots, and that could be verified by everyone. The communion, the festive mood of the people [because they were participating in the voting process] and the high level of participation shall be noted," said Antonio Filipe, an observer from the Portuguese Communist Party.

The credibility, transparency, liberty and justice of the Angolan voting process was attested to by the international observers, who concluded that the voting process had gone ahead peacefully.

"I don't see this level of civil activism and commitment in many countries, especially from the young people who came out to vote in large numbers. This is really good news for your country and I don't know if you're capable of acknowledging it," said Luis Ayala, a Chilean Social Internationalist.

Preliminary results will be announced 48 hours after the election and the final results within two weeks, according to the country's electoral laws.

On Thursday, the National Electoral Commission said the ruling party People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) took the lead in the elections, with over 65 percent of ballots counted.