PRAIA (Reuters) – Cape Verde, one of Africa’s most stable democracies, will vote for a new president on Sunday as the country tries to right its tourism-driven economy from the blow dealt by the coronavirus pandemic.
Seven candidates are vying to replace Jorge Carlo Fonseca, who must step down after two five-year terms. The two favourites are both former prime ministers: Carlos Veiga from Fonseca’s centre-right Movement for Democracy (MpD) and Jose Maria Neves of the leftist African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV).
Veiga, 72, served as prime minister from 1991 to 2000 and is running for president for the third time. He has campaigned as a steady hand who can bring stability in a moment of crisis.
Neves, 61, was prime minister from 2001-2016. He has argued he can bring political consensus and develop Cape Verde’s economy.
The MpD maintained its parliamentary majority in an April election despite criticism from the PAICV over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Border closures during the pandemic have cut off Cape Verde’s beaches and mountains from the tourists that normally flock there, and the economy shrank by 14% in 2020. Growth is expected to bounce back to 5.8% this year.
A cluster of 10 volcanic islands 570 km (350 miles) off West Africa, the former Portuguese colony has held democratic elections since 1991.
The election will head to a run-off if no candidate receives more than 50% of the first-round vote.
(Reporting by Julio Rodrigues; Writing by Aaron Ross and Alistair Bell)