In Cape Verde, 419,000 voters go to the polls on Sunday to elect a president
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Rádio Moçambique and 2424.mg
More than 419,000 Cape Verdean voters will vote on Sunday to elect the republic’s president. Six candidates are in the running, including incumbent head of state José Maria Neves, who is seeking a second term. Around 150 observers, including a mission from the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), will monitor the vote, according to Rádio Moçambique.
Maria do Rosário Gonçalves, chair of the National Elections Commission, told the press that the conditions for the poll on Sunday 15 November are in place. The campaign was launched on 29 October.
The incumbent head of state is standing for the PAICV, while Joana Rosa represents the MPD. Four other candidates are running as independents: Casimiro de Pina, Antero Tavares, Gilson Alves and Loisito de Sousa. The CPLP mission, which brings together Portuguese-speaking countries, is led by Carlos Agostinho do Rosário, former head of government of Mozambique.
Cape Verde, an archipelago located 600 km off Senegal, is an exception in a West Africa hit by coups and military juntas. The country chose a parliamentary system rather than a presidential one upon gaining independence from Portugal in 1975. Twice, between 2011 and 2016 and then between 2021 and 2026, the head of state and the government belonged to opposing camps. Having abandoned the single-party system in favour of multiparty politics in 1990, the archipelago experienced a fourth peaceful handover of power in May 2026.
