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CAPE VERDE/ELECTIONS: JOSÉ MARIA NEVES EXPECTS FIRST-ROUND ELECTION “EVEN UNDER ABNORMAL CONDITIONS”

Praia – The candidate for President of the Republic of Cape Verde José Maria Neves said, in an interview with Lusa, that he hopes to be elected in the first round, on October 17, believing in victory “even under abnormal conditions”.

“I hope that everything is resolved in the first round and we are working towards that, so that these elections are resolved in the first round, under normal conditions. And even under abnormal conditions we will do everything to win these elections”, said José Maria Neves, 61, former prime minister of Cape Verde (2001 to 2016) and supported by the African Independence Party of Cape Verde (PAICV, opposition), that he led and of which he has been a militant for about 40 years.

“I would like to ask that there be some distance from the Government, the impartiality of the sovereign bodies, the non-use of State resources for the electoral campaign. And they would be abnormal conditions if the Government were to enter, as a Government, the ministers, the resources of the State, the manipulation of available data by the State, the censorship of the press, fear. These would be abnormal conditions. But even so, we would be doing everything to win, if that happened”, said the candidate this Sunday.

These criticisms, repeated by José Maria Neves in the last few days, however deserved a response from the Government, through the Minister of Justice, Joana Rosa.

“The Government is amazed at the posture of the presidential candidate and finds this behavior strange, of someone who has already held high positions in the State and who has the obligation to be more pedagogical, respect democratic institutions and not choose the Government as an opponent”, said the ruler, denying the accusations.

Going forward, in the October voting, José Maria Neves will have as his main opponent the former Prime Minister Carlos Veiga (from 1991 to 2000), who already has official support for the Movement for Democracy’s candidacy, also announced in March. (MpD, power), party he founded and also led.

“It is essential to vote for a President who unites, who cares, who protects, who advises, who suggests, but also who is an impartial arbiter of government oversight, who can calm conflicts. A President who, respecting differences, respecting the pluralism of democracy, works every day so that, in strategic cooperation with the Government, there is more economy, more jobs, less poverty and less inequality in Cape Verde”, said José Maria Neves, promising, if elected, to be a “present and acting” President.

The candidate also pledged to work “with all political and social sensibilities so that Cape Verde can win the future”.

The electoral campaign for the presidential elections in Cape Verde starts on Thursday and José Maria Neves, who has already visited in a pre-campaign the main Cape Verdean communities in the diaspora, in Europe, America and Africa, promises to go “to all the islands ”.

The candidate referred to the importance of “respecting health rules and campaigning very lightly, with great openness, with great freedom of mind”.

“A high-profile campaign for the discussion of ideas, let’s not lose focus, let’s not get into squabbles, squabble with opponents, even if they do. We will maintain a very high campaign, aimed at discussing ideas for presenting concrete proposals to Cape Verdeans and, therefore, constructive. Very happy too, that’s why we chose the color white for this campaign: it symbolizes peace, friendship and joy”, he concluded.

Cape Verde holds presidential elections on October 17, 2021, in which Jorge Carlos Fonseca, who is serving his second and final term as President of the Republic, no longer runs.

The Constitutional Court announced on August 24 that it had admitted the candidacies for these elections of José Maria Pereira Neves, Carlos Veiga, Fernando Rocha Delgado, Gilson Alves, Hélio Sanches, Joaquim Jaime Monteiro and Casimiro de Pina.

This is the first time that Cape Verde has registered seven official candidates for President of the Republic in direct elections, after the maximum has been four so far, in 2001 and 2011.

The electoral campaign takes place between 00:00 on 30 September and 23:59 on 15 October and in case of a second round, it will take place on 31 of the same month.

According to Cape Verde’s Constitution, the President of the Republic is elected by universal and direct suffrage by the voters registered in the national territory and abroad.

Only a citizen “Cape Verdean of origin, who has no other nationality”, over 35 years of age at the date of candidacy and who, in the three years “immediately prior to that date, has had permanent residence in the national territory” can be elected President of the Republic. .

Cape Verde has had four Presidents of the Republic since independence from Portugal in 1975, the first being the late Aristides Pereira (1975 – 1991) and by indirect election, followed by the late António Mascarenhas Monteiro (1991 – 2001), the first by direct election, in 2001 Pedro Pires was elected and 10 years later Jorge Carlos Fonseca.

The last presidential elections in Cape Verde, which reappointed constitutionalist Jorge Carlos Fonseca as President of the Republic, took place on October 2, 2016 (first-round election, with 74% of the votes).

Source: Angola Press Agency

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