Portugal Praises Cape Verde’s Historic Election Victory
Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel has praised Cape Verde for “giving the world a lesson in democracy” following the victory of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) in the country’s legislative elections.
Speaking in Lisbon during the signing of a new protocol for teaching Portuguese abroad, Rangel highlighted Cape Verde’s long track record of peaceful power transitions. He emphasized that the archipelago remains one of Portugal’s closest international partners and expressed his eagerness to begin working with the incoming legislature.
Portuguese Leadership Offers Support
Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro also took to social media to congratulate PAICV leader Francisco Carvalho. Montenegro reaffirmed the deep ties between the two nations, noting Portugal’s “full readiness” to cooperate with the “brother country” in this new political phase.
Cape Verdean President José Maria Neves echoed these sentiments, declaring that the nation’s democracy emerged “strengthened” after a peaceful electoral process. “The people, sovereignly, have spoken. They are the main winner,” Neves wrote, congratulating all participating parties for their civic conduct.
The Election Results
While official final results were still being processed Tuesday morning, PAICV leader Francisco Carvalho has already claimed an absolute majority. Sources within the party project they have secured 37 of the 72 seats in the National Assembly.
Incumbent Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva, leader of the Movement for Democracy (MpD), has already conceded defeat. Preliminary data shows the MpD securing 33 seats, remaining as the primary opposition power. The Independent and Democratic Cape Verdean Union (UCID) looks set to retain two seats, while smaller parties such as the People’s Party (PP) and the People, Labor and Solidarity party (PTS) failed to elect any representatives.
A Historic Turnout Challenge
Despite the praise for the peaceful nature of the vote, the election was marked by a record-high abstention rate of 53.4%.
The transition process will now move toward the official constitution of the National Assembly, the inauguration of the new government, and a subsequent motion of confidence in parliament. As of midday Tuesday, election officials were finalizing the count for the remaining 24 polling stations out of a total of 1,333.
Image: Pexels – Czapp Árpád
