Fernando Pinto Appointed Mayor of Praia, Cape Verde
Fernando Pinto has officially taken the reins as the mayor of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde. The transition, confirmed in Thursday’s Official Gazette, marks a significant shift in municipal leadership following a major shake-up in the country’s national government.
Pinto succeeds Francisco Carvalho, who vacated the mayor’s office after being sworn in as Prime Minister. According to the official document, councilor Fernando Jorge Tavares Pinto will assume the presidency to “ensure the full functioning of the municipal executive body.”
From City Hall to National Leadership
Francisco Carvalho’s resignation was described as “free, conscious, and irrevocable,” taking effect on June 18. Just one day later, President José Maria Neves swore Carvalho in as Prime Minister following a decisive election victory for the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV).
In a move to tightly control the nation’s economic direction, Carvalho has also personally taken on the Finance portfolio. He justified this dual role by citing the need to “ensure that the major priorities will continue to be” at the forefront of the government’s agenda.
A Shift in Power
The transition follows a landslide legislative victory for the PAICV, which secured an absolute majority with 37 of the 72 seats in the National Assembly. This result reshapes the Cape Verdean political landscape after a decade of rule by the Movement for Democracy (MpD).
Led by former Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva, the MpD secured 33 seats and will now return to the opposition benches after 10 years in power. Meanwhile, the Independent and Democratic Cape Verdean Union (UCID) held steady, maintaining its two seats in the assembly.
As Pinto begins his tenure in Praia, all eyes will be on how the capital navigates this leadership change while the former mayor spearheads a new national government.
Image: Pexels – damien Saillet
