By Moboluwade Tobiloba
Cape Verde’s two-term president, Jorge Carlos Fonseca has stepped down from office following former prime Minister Jose Maria Neves’ victory at the presidential election on Sunday.
Neves, who served as prime minister from 2000-2016, defeated his main rival and the ruling party’s flagbearer, Carlos Veiga.
According to the results of the vote, Neves won 51.5 per cent based on 97 per cent of votes counted. A first-round absolute majority means the election does not need to go to a second round run-off.
Neves had 51.7% of the vote based on official results from 99.4% of polling stations, ahead of Veiga with 42.4%. Five other candidates all won less than 2% each. Turnout for the election was 48.3 percent.
Veiga who served as prime minister from 1991-2000 and represents Fonseca’s centre-right Movement for Democracy (MpD), conceded defeat late on Sunday.
He said, “The will of the people was heard and the will of the people was granted” while offering his congratulations to the new president.
Neves later addressed his supporters saying, “I must say that it is a great responsibility to preside over the Cape Verdean nation in these difficult times, and I receive this victory with the great humility that has always characterised me.”
The transfer of power will be the fourth between the MpD and PAICV since independence from Portugal in 1975, consolidating Cape Verde’s status as one of Africa’s most stable democracies.
Neves will have to work with a prime minister from the MpD after the party maintained its parliamentary majority in an April election.
The new president will inherit the responsibility of stabilising the Atlantic archipelago nation’s tourism-driven economy after the COVID-19 pandemic drove it deep into recession.
