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2021 Cape Verdean presidential election

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Presidential elections

2021 Cape Verdean presidential election
← 2016 17 October 2021 2026 →
Registered398,690
Turnout47.99%
 
Nominee José Maria Neves Carlos Veiga
Party PAICV MpD
Popular vote 96,035 78,603
Percentage 51.79% 42.39%
Results by municipality
President before election

Jorge Carlos Fonseca
MpD

Elected President

José Maria Neves
PAICV

Politics of Cape Verde
Constitution
Executive
Legislature
Judiciary
Elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations

Presidential elections were held in Cape Verde on 17 October 2021. The result was a victory for José Maria Neves of the opposition African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), who received 51.8% of the vote.

Background

The outgoing president Jorge Carlos Fonseca was first elected after the 2011 election, and was re-elected in 2016 after winning 74% of the popular vote.

Electoral system

The president was elected using the two-round system by registered voters residing in the country and abroad. Eligible candidates must be citizens "of Cape Verdean origin, who hold no other nationality"; over 35 years of age on the date of candidacy; and have resided in the country for three years prior to that date. The application to register as a candidate must be presented to the Constitutional Court for approval, and requires the signatures of at least 1,000 and at most 4,000 electors.

On 27 July 2021 incumbent president Jorge Carlos Fonseca issued a decree confirming that the election would be held on 17 October, with a second round provisionally scheduled for 31 October. Fonseca himself was ineligible to run due to term limits. The constitution requires candidates to register 60 days prior to the election, thus setting the deadline at 17 August.

Candidates

The two dominant parties, the PAICV and the Movement for Democracy (MpD), both nominated former prime ministers as their candidates. The PAICV nominated José Maria Neves, and the MpD nominated Carlos Veiga. Veiga ran for the presidency in 2001 (when he lost by just 12 votes out of 153,406 cast in the second round) and 2006 (losing by a margin of less than 2%).

Besides the two main competitors, five more candidates appeared on the ballot.

Campaign

The campaign period began on 30 September and ended on 15 October. Frontrunners Veiga and Neves both pledged to stabilize the country due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, which heavily destabilized the economy.

Results

PAICV candidate José Maria Neves was elected in the first round with over 51% of the vote. This was the first time the PAICV won a presidential election since 2006, when Pedro Pires was re-elected president for a second term.

CandidatePartyVotes%
José Maria NevesAfrican Party for the Independence of Cape Verde96,03551.79
Carlos VeigaMovement for Democracy78,60342.39
Casimiro de PinaIndependent3,3451.80
Fernando Rocha DelgadoIndependent2,5181.36
Helio SanchesIndependent2,1341.15
Gilson AlvesIndependent1,4100.76
Joaquim MonteiroIndependent1,4030.76
Total185,448100.00
Valid votes185,44896.92
Invalid/blank votes5,8873.08
Total votes191,335100.00
Registered voters/turnout398,69047.99
Source: CNE

Aftermath

Late on election day, Veiga conceded defeat, stating: "The will of the people was heard and the will of the people was granted. I want to offer my congratulations to Jose Maria on his election as president of the republic." Neves celebrated his win and said he wanted to be the "president of all Cape Verdeans", adding that it was "a great responsibility to preside over the Cape Verdean nation in these difficult times, and I receive this victory with the great humility."

References

  1. "Jorge Carlos Fonseca marca eleições legislativas para 18 de Abril e as presidenciais para 17 de Outubro". Inforpress (in European Portuguese). 12 January 2021. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  2. ^ Rodrigues, Julio (18 October 2021). "Opposition candidate Neves wins Cape Verde election". Reuters. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  3. "Opposition leader wins Cape Verde presidential run-off". France 24. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  4. "President Fonseca wins second term in Cape Verde vote". The Guardian. AFP. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Cape Verde gears towards Presidential election on October 17". Africa News. 13 October 2021. Archived from the original on 13 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  6. "Elections: Cape Verde Presidential August 2011 Round 2". IFES Election Guide. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  7. "President Fonseca eyes second term in Cape Verde vote". News24. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Cabo Verde: Presidenciais a 17 de outubro e eventual 2.ª volta no dia 31". Notícias ao Minuto (in Portuguese). 27 July 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Cape Verde: The presidential election is scheduled to be held Oct. 17; an increase in related campaign rallies is likely from Sept. 30". GardaWorld. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Cape Verde votes for president on Sunday". Africa News. 16 October 2021. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  11. Speck, Bruno Wilhelm; Gonçalves, Anilsa Sofia Correia (2019). "O bipartidarismo em Cabo Verde: a dinâmica do surgimento dos terceiros partidos e a magnitude dos distritos". Revista Brasileira de Ciência Política (29): 45–88. doi:10.1590/0103-335220192902. ISSN 2178-4884.
  12. "PAICV apoia José Maria Neves como candidato a PR de Cabo Verde". Notícias ao Minuto (in Portuguese). 30 May 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  13. "MpD aprova apoio à candidatura de Carlos Veiga a PR de Cabo Verde". Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (in Portuguese). 13 May 2021. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  14. da Silva, Beatriz Ramalho. "What you need to know about Cape Verde's presidential election". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  15. "José Maria Neves eleito Presidente da República". Radio France Internationale (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  16. ^ Dos Santos, Nélio (18 October 2021). "José Maria Neves: "É uma grande vitória do povo de Cabo Verde"". Deutsche Welle (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  17. "Carlos Veiga reconhece derrota e felicita José Maria Neves". Expresso das Ilhas (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 October 2021.
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