Yearbook 2016
Cape Verde. During the year, elections were held for both parliament and the presidential post. The former was organized in March and led to Cape Verde’s African Independence Party (PAICV) losing power after winning all three elections held earlier in the 2000s. The second of the two dominant parties in the country, the Movement for Democracy (MPD), received about 54.5% of the vote and 40 of the total 72 seats, while the PAICV had to settle for 29 seats. The remaining three seats in Parliament went to Cape Verde’s Democratic and Independent Union (Ucid). New prime minister became former finance minister Ulisses Correia e Silva, who took office with his government in April.
The current population of Cabo Verde is 555,998. The MPD’s election victory meant that the president and the government now represented the same party. The situation remained the same after the October presidential election. Jorge Carlos Fonseca, president since 2011, took a superior victory when he got 74% of the votes already in the first round. He was challenged by two party-independent candidates, while PAICV never launched any candidate. Voting was low, only 35%, which can be compared to 65% voting in the parliamentary elections. The MPD’s grip on power was manifested by the fact that the party won even in the municipal elections held in September. According to thereligionfaqs, the setbacks in the Cabo Verde municipal elections caused PAICV’s party leader Janira Hopffer Almada to resign.
