"I never had the opportunity to vote in Angola because the elections are very tense and I left, so I had the opportunity to register here and I told myself that I had to have my first little finger," said Joaquim, who has lived for 21 years in France, showing his finger smeared with indelible ink.
Joaquim came from the Puy de Dome region in central France to vote at the Angolan Embassy in Paris. Like this senior engineering technician, many Angolans chose to come to the capital and, for the first time, vote in elections outside the country.
"People are satisfied, very satisfied [to be able to vote]. Many come from far away, everything is centered in Paris and France is big, but people make a great effort to come to Paris and do their duty. Many people come from Pau, Strasbourg, Lille or Normandy," said Francisco, a clerk who has been in the Paris region for 11 years.
For Maria Rosa, being able to vote after 23 years in Paris means not being forgotten by her own country.
"It is very important for us to be able to vote because it shows us that we have not been forgotten and that our country is considerate of us", declared this secretary who lives in Sarcelles.
Maria Rosa's main motivation for voting is that living conditions improve, with this emigrant indicating that she does not understand how there can be hunger in Angola.
"My priority is that people live better in Angola, that people are in good health, that there are hospitals and schools and, above all, that people have something to eat. Do we now see impossible things, children eating from the garbage? we saw this happening in Angola. That's what I want to change", he declared.
Joaquim says that people, especially young Angolans, want "alternation" and that's what he voted for today.
"All over the world, young people are calling for an alternation. Since we live here in Europe and have a stable life compared to the people who are there, I came to do my part. Now it's up to the elections to be free and transparent" , declared Joaquim.
In contact with the family in Angola, Joaquim sees the family very tense.
"In Angola, the population is very tense. Yesterday they went to stores and stores to shop for fear of reprisals or war, because there are tense appeals [...] I am worried. My mother is 79 years old, lives with my older sister and I, when I call them, they tell me that it is UNITA that provokes and that there is fighting in some villages, but how is it that UNITA provokes, if there are no weapons? They are afraid", he said.
For Vladimir, who has been in Paris for a year, tension in electoral results is normal in all democratic countries in the world.
"If I say I'm not afraid, it's a lie, if I say yes, I'm pessimistic. Today, history shows us that even in the United States the results are not accepted with good cheer. World geopolitics shows that election results can be a point of departure. cataclysm in several countries", he indicated.
Inside the Angolan Embassy, located at 19 Avenida Foch, one of the most chic neighborhoods in Paris, there are three polling stations and during the morning more than 120 people had already voted.
"It's a special period because it's a working day and a vacation period, the two combined are difficult, but the Angolan is aware that he has to vote. So far, two people have appeared who could not and understood", explained David Mayassi, first secretary of the MPLA in France and delegate to the list attached to these tables.
Angolan emigrants in France registered for this election can vote until 6 pm local time (5 pm in Luanda and Lisbon), with delegates expecting greater turnout at the end of the day when many voters leave work.
