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- The former Cape Verdean Prime Minister Jose Maria Neves, won the presidential election in the first round held on last Sunday
- Verde is known for its strong democratic roots and elections used to be held peacefully and in a fair manner
- Â Neves, 61, is a member of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV)
-  Earlier, he headed  the government  between 2001 to 2016. Neves got 51.5% of the vote, an absolute majority needed to be elected in the first round itself. Counting is over in 97% of polling booths
The former Cape Verdean Prime Minister Jose Maria Neves, won the presidential election in the first round held on last Sunday. Verde is known for its strong democratic roots and elections used to be held peacefully and in a fair manner. Neves, 61, is a member of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV). Earlier, he headed  the government  between 2001 to 2016. Neves got 51.5% of the vote, an absolute majority needed to be elected in the first round itself. Counting is over in 97% of polling booths.
The other main contestant was Carlos Veiga, of the Movement for Democracy (MpD, center-right, majority in parliament). Mr. Veiga, 71, who also was a prime minister from 1991 to 2000, obtained 42.6% of the vote. Significantly, the abstention rate was very high and reached 51.7% of registered voters. The results have to be validated by the election commission.
As prime minister, Neves established relations with China. He was also instrumental in signing a treaty with the European Union. In 2008, he established a predominantly female government, which was widely hailed across the world. The total number of voters were 398,864 including more than 56,000 voters from abroad. There were seven contenders in the fray, all men. There are 550,000 people in the archipelago. It has one of the highest GDP per capita in West Africa. Tourism contributes more than a quarter of its GDP, which is presently in a disarray since the European tourists, who used to flock the country had thinned out due to the panemic. Also, the country  is in the grip of a vaulting inflation.
