Luanda - Angolans are voting for a new president and parliament, in the second national elections since the oil-rich country's 27-year civil war ended a decade ago.
Most polling stations in the capital, Luanda, seemed to open on time despite fears of logistical problems.
Former rebel group Unita, now the main opposition party, had called for a delay, alleging irregularities.
Aged 70, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos’s Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which won more than 80% of the vote in the last legislative election four years ago, is expected to win another five-year term.
Dos Santos has been in power since 1979 and has not delivered on his promises of taking his country out of porverty despite it being now Africa's third largest economy.
The polls are the first held under a new constitution that abolished direct presidential elections. Instead, the head of the winning parliamentary list becomes president.
Hours before polls opened, it emerged that thousands of Angolans were unsure about where to vote, and many more could not find their name on voting lists.
However, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) denied there were problems.
Unita has expressed concern about a lack of transparency, especially the failure to publish a full electoral roll.
Unita spokesman Alcides Sakala has said the confusion vindicated his party's concerns, and called for the vote to be delayed.
"The NEC has done nothing to correct these problems," he said.
A leading oil producer, Angola has witnessed an economic boom since 2002, after the end of the civil war that had ravaged the country after independence from Portugal in 1975.
Dos Santos is being criticised for letting the country's wealth being exploited by a handful of his supporters.
Discontentment with the MPLA is rampant becase half the population remains in poverty and lack access to basic services such as water and electricity.
the MPLA is facing stiff competition from a new party, Casa, formed in March by former Unita politician Abel Chivukuvuku, who is targeting the youth vote and promoting an anti-corruption agenda.

Angola's election at a glance
•    9.7m voters out of an estimated population of 21m
•    Voting for 220 members of the National Assembly
•    New constitution abolished direct presidential polls, meaning the leader of the party with the parliamentary majority becomes head of state
•    Nine political parties and coalitions are taking part

Main contenders:
•    MPLA, led by Jose Eduardo dos Santos, has dominated politics since independence from Portugal and is favourite to win
•    Unita, led by Isaias Samakuva, is a former rebel group that fought the MPLA-led regime until its then-leader was killed in 2002
•    Casa, led by Abel Chivukuvuku, who split from Unita in March