Voters in Cape Verde cast ballots on Sunday, November 15, in a presidential election that pits incumbent José Maria Neves against the West African island nation's first-ever female presidential candidate, former justice minister Joana Rosa, in a campaign dominated by jobs and emigration.

Source: Reuters

More than 300,000 people are eligible to vote. Polls opened at 8 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) and close at 6 p.m. (1900 GMT), with voters choosing among six candidates. A candidate needs more than 50 percent of the vote to win outright; if nobody clears that bar, the top two go to a runoff on November 29.

Neves, 65, is seeking a second term. A member of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), the country's oldest party, he was prime minister for 15 years before becoming president in 2021. Analysts tip him as the favourite, but Rosa is rated his strongest challenger.

A first in 51 years of independence

Rosa, a 61-year-old lawyer backed by the opposition Movement for Democracy (MpD), is the first woman to run for president since Cape Verde's independence from Portugal in 1975. The MpD governed for 10 years before legislative elections in May, when the PAICV won 37 of 72 seats and Francisco Carvalho became prime minister — meaning Sunday's winner will have to work with a government led by the rival camp or their own.

The campaign has hinged on slowing persistent emigration and creating jobs for young people in the Atlantic archipelago of roughly half a million people, where many families depend on relatives working abroad. Cape Verde is widely regarded as one of Africa's most stable democracies, with a record of peaceful transfers of power in a politically volatile region.

300,000+eligible voters
6candidates on the ballot
50%+needed to win without a runoff on November 29

Official provisional results are expected within two to three days, election officials said. If a runoff is needed, it will be held on November 29 between the two leading candidates.

What happens next

Polls close at 6 p.m. local time on Sunday. Provisional results are expected within two to three days; a second round, if required, is scheduled for November 29.

The presidency in Cape Verde is the head of state role in a system where the prime minister leads the government, but the president can veto legislation and shapes the country's direction — which is why both camps campaigned hard on the economy and emigration despite the office's limited day-to-day powers.