Cape Verde gears towards Presidential election on October 17

Cape Verde is geared toward the next general election scheduled on October 17 with the outgoing President Jorge Carlos Fonseca having indicated that the run-off will take place on October 31.

The presidential decree setting the dates for the runoff was issued on July 27 and went into effect immediately, although the schedule has been under discussion since January 2021.

The municipal elections were held in October 2020, and legislative elections in April this year.

Already the head electoral commission Arlinda Chantre has guaranteed a free and fair poll even as the preparations continue.

Cape Verde's largest political parties, the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) and the Movement for Democracy (MPD), nominated José Maria Neves and Carlos Veiga respectively.

These parties have great historical and political strength in Cape Verde and have largely dominated the country's political scene for nearly three decades.

José Maria Neves who is a former Cape Verdean prime minister who was elected three times between 2001 and 2016 is touted to win this election. He has also held several political positions, such as president of his party and national deputy.

In the last presidential elections, held on October 2, 2016, constitutionalist Jorge Carlos Fonseca of the Movement for Democracy (MPD) was re-elected with 74% of the vote. At the end of his second term, the president cannot be re-elected under the country's term limit rules.