Elections

Cape Verde: change of policy after 15 years

After the parliamentary elections in Cape Verde, the largest opposition party, celebrate your victory: After counting of almost all votes in the MpD comes to more than 53 percent of the vote, the government party on 37 per cent.

The Cape Verde Islands are considered to be a democratic model country in Africa. Since independence 40 years ago, there have been several peaceful changes of power. After the parliamentary elections this Sunday, it is now that time again: The Kapverder have deselected the African party for the independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), which is from the former liberation movement that emerged after 15 years.

The PAICV was punished for the bad economic situation in the country. The state debts of the West African island state has doubled, according to data from the world Bank between 2008 and 2013, more than, from 36 to 81 percent. Unemployment is according to the national Institute of statistics, 16 percent, especially for young people to find a Job.

Ulisses Correia da Silva promises to be a high rate of economic growth

Also in the case of the movement for democracy (MpD) was the economy an election issue number 1. Ulisses Correia e Silva, the top-of-the kanidat of the MpD, had promised in the run-up to 45,000 new jobs in the next five years. With this choice the program he has now: “Our target growth of seven per cent per year. So much needs to grow the country, so that sustainable ‘quality jobs’ can be created and poverty is reduced,” said Correia e Silva in the election campaign. “This requires that we have a good environment for business. So we need to reduce taxes and the bureaucracy leaner and less to the economy.”

Soon, an economic miracle on the Cape Verde Islands?

In addition, Correia e Silva, who was until the end of 2015, the mayor of the capital city of Praia, the national debt and the foreign countries want to reduce debt. Both were ran in the past few years from the helm. The financial burden that threatens to stifle the enterprise of the country, he says. His plans of MpD-Chairman expected soon, and in fact, After 15 years, he will replace now, José Maria Neves as the new Prime Minister.

The MpD is currently also with Jorge Carlos Fonseca, the President of the Republic, but in the political System of this island archipelago is more of a representative, non-partisan role.

Janira Hopffer couldn’t save the option

Janira Hopffer Almada, the candidate of the socialist PAICV

Since the end of the one-party regime on the West African Islands at the beginning of the 90s the conservative MpD the adversary of the socialist PAICV. Which, in turn, had set for the elections to Janira Hopffer Alamada. Since December 2014, the former youth Minister, Chairman of the PAICV. The 37-Year-old had also made a “new economic agenda” at the heart of their election campaign. So they wanted to create up to 25,000 new Jobs. For one, they continued on the development of three strategic sectors of tourism, agriculture and fisheries, on the other, especially the private sector should provide for more growth. “We want to improve the environment for business and the economy in such a way to regulate that more competition,” promised Hopffer Almada.

Young and female – a combination candidate of the African government parties has in top really is a rarity. The PAICV candidate should present the program to the for decades, the Power of adhesive heads of state of many countries in Africa. But in the end was not enough. Hopffer Almada has admitted defeat already.

Democratic change in the pattern of land

So far, it has given to the Cape Verde Islands two peaceful changes of power between the government and the Opposition: After the first free elections in the country in 1991, the then ruling PAICV gave the Power to the MpD. In 2001, another change followed, and then in the other direction.

Cape Verde is located 570 km off the West coast of Africa and from the mainland States, some

“Here, on the Cape Verde Islands there are no deaths due to political clashes. You can’t commented on that at all compare to what is happening on the African mainland”, the Cape Verdean political analyst Júlio Lopes. And indeed, In the intra-African comparison, it has rarity value, that choice will be recognised in results, without discussion, and implemented.

The dominance of the ruling party

The political System of Cape Verde gets by Júlio Lopes still no best notes: “There is, in my opinion, a strong tendency of the political forces take advantage of their Power to their favor. They use institutional resources to promote your party or your candidate”, writes the analyst. “We cut as bad as Europe. I would say that we are approximately on a level with Latin American countries.”

This year the country will elect a new President. An exact date is not yet available. Even the party’s rivals PAICV and the MpD will be back.

Employees: Nélio dos Santos (Praia), António Cascais , Madelaine Meier