Cape Verde heads to the polls in presidential election

Cape Verdeans are heading to the polls on Sunday to elect the country's next president.

Incumbent President José Maria Neves, favoured to win a second term in office, comes up against five contenders, including Joana Rosa Amado, Cape Verde's first ever female candidate.

Voting starts at 8 am and polls will remain open for 10 hours. Provisional results are expected to come in overnight. If no candidate secures an absolute majority, there will be a second round on 29 November.

Amado, a 61-year-old lawyer backed by the opposition Movement for Democracy (MpD), is running under the slogan "Listen to Cabo Verde," which she says "does not mean promising everything, but rather, knowing the real concerns and expectations of the population."

"The election of a woman to the presidency would show many young women and young girls that no government job is barred from them," she told the media.

The former justice minister has centred her campaign on maintaining a balance of power, arguing that the country needs a counterweight to the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), which backs Neves and controls the government and most municipalities.

For his part, Neves, who won the 2021 presidential election with around 52% of the vote, has pledged to secure cross-party support to improve housing, healthcare and education, as well as to create jobs and raise wages.

Between 2001 and 2016, the 66-year-old served as prime minister and president of the PAICV.

Among the other candidates is surgeon Gilson Alves, 45, an authoritarian figure who promises to fight corruption, allow gun ownership and restore the death penalty.

Cape Verde

Cape Verde sits off the coast of West Africa, around 600 km from Senegal. With roughly half a million inhabitants, it is known for its democratic stability, with a record of peaceful transfers of power and competitive elections.

In July, Cape Verde was officially classified as an upper-middle-income country by the World Bank, due to economic growth in the tourism sector and a 16.8% increase in gross national income per capita between 2023 and 2024.

However, the country faces a number of challenges, including persistent social inequality, geographic isolation and a lack of affordable options for travel between its islands.

Among the main concerns of the local population are the rising cost of living, fuel prices and youth unemployment.