Cape Verde elects its president
Cabo Verde elects its President for a five-year term: the first round is on 15 November 2026 and, if no candidate wins an absolute majority of validly cast votes, a runoff between the two leading candidates is held on 29 November. President José Maria Neves, elected in 2021 with the backing of PAICV and prime minister from 2001 to 2016, is seeking a second term and again has that party's support. The main opposition candidate is former Justice Minister Joana Rosa, backed by MpD, and four other candidates run without any known formal party endorsement. It is the first presidential vote since the 17 May 2026 legislative election, in which PAICV won 37 of the 72 seats and returned to government, so the outcome will decide whether the presidency and the government belong to the same political camp or the country returns to cohabitation.
The candidates
In ballot order, drawn by the Constitutional Court, which admitted 6 of 11 candidacies. President Neves suspended his term to run, as the Electoral Code requires.
| # | Candidate | Age | Backing | Profile | In 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antero Tavares | 58 | independent | Career judge; suspended his judicial duties to run. | – |
| 2 | Casimiro de Pina | 52 | no known party backing | Jurist, academic and legal researcher; 2021 candidate (1.80%). | 1.80% |
| 3 | José Maria Neves | 66 | PAICV | President since 2021; prime minister from 2001 to 2016 and PAICV leader from 2000 to 2014. | 51.79% |
| 4 | Gilson Alves | 45 | no known party backing | Trained physician and businessman; 2021 candidate (0.76%). | 0.76% |
| 5 | Joana Rosa | 61 | MpD (filed as independent) | Lawyer; former Justice Minister in Ulisses Correia e Silva's MpD government and former MpD parliamentary leader; elected MpD member of parliament for Santiago Sul in May 2026. The only woman in the race. | – |
| 6 | Loisito Tavares | 40 | independent | Athlete and teacher; founder of the Tarrafal Independent Movement. Admitted by the full Constitutional Court on appeal. | – |
How the president is elected
A candidate wins in the first round with more than half of the valid votes, blank ballots excluded. Otherwise the top two go to a runoff on November 29. Diaspora voters vote in three constituencies (Africa, the Americas, and Europe and the rest of the world), and votes from abroad count nationally up to a cap of one fifth of the votes cast at home. The term is five years.
Previous elections
2021 presidential election (first round, valid votes)
| Candidate | Backing | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| José Maria Neves | PAICV | 51.79% |
| Carlos Veiga | MpD | 42.39% |
| Casimiro de Pina | no known party backing | 1.80% |
| Fernando Delgado | no known party backing | 1.36% |
| Casimiro de Pina | no known party backing | 1.15% |
| Gilson Alves | no known party backing | 0.76% |
| Joaquim Monteiro | no known party backing | 0.76% |
17/05/2026 legislative election: PAICV returned to government
| Party | Votes | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| PAICV | 48.04% | 37 |
| MpD | 44.75% | 33 |
| UCID | 5.20% | 2 |
Polls
There are no voting-intention polls for this election: the official poll register of the ARC, the regulator, has none in 2026. From October 29 until 6 PM on November 15, the law bans publishing polls.
Results
Polls close at 6 PM on Sunday, Nov 15, in Cape Verde: 2 PM in Washington, DC. Provisional results come out the same night at eleicoes.cv; the National Elections Commission runs the general count from Nov 16.
Data checked on 03/11/2026. Dates, candidates, rules and results: Official Bulletin, National Elections Commission and Constitutional Court. Profiles and endorsements: Cape Verdean press, linked in the dataset.