ECOWAS poll observers, laud Cape Verdeans for 'political maturity'
Praia, Cape Verde (PANA) - The ECOWAS Election Observation Mission has commended Cape Verdeans for their “political maturity” and praised the National Electoral Commission (NCE) and other election management institutions for their “technical, organiaational and professional skills”.
“By and large, the presidential election of October 17, 2021, took place under good conditions of transparency and credibility,” Gen. Salou Djibo, Head of the ECOWAS 51-member observer mission, said in Praia, the Cabo Verdean capital on Monday, while presenting the Mission’s Preliminary Declaration on Sunday’s poll.
A statement by ECOWAS said provisional results on a website jointly set up by the CNE, the General Directorate for Support to Electoral Process in Cape Verde and other election management institutions gave former Prime Minister Jose Maria Neves victory with 51.7% of the vote.
He defeated six other candidates, including his main rival, Carlos Veiga, also a former Prime Minister, who received 42.4% of the vote as runner-up, and has since conceded defeat and congratulated the victor.
“The ECOWAS Mission congratulates the Cape Verdean authorities and all stakeholders … for holding the election in a peaceful atmosphere,” said Gen. Djibo, Niger’s former Interim President.
He said the Mission deployed observers to 550 polling stations or 74.3% of the total in the Islands’ nation with 398,864 registered voters.
The Mission welcomed “the remarkable conditions for the organisation of the ballot as well as the speed and transparency in the transmission and announcement of provisional results”.
It also congratulated the winner and urged him to address the challenges of economic recovery and consolidation of democratic gains, together with the Government and other stakeholders.
The CNE Chair, Maria do Rosario Gonsalves, explained on Monday that the Commission was still compiling the final official results. The electoral law allows the Commission a 10-day time limit within which to announce the official results.
In apparent reference to the relatively low voter turn-out of 48% on Sunday, the ECOWAS Mission in its 15-point Declaration urged the relevant authorities in Cape Verde to promote increase citizen participation in elections and strong representation of women in the management of public affairs.
It also called on Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) in the ECOWAS region to initiate exchanges and working visits with Cape Verde’s national institutions, including the NOSI Data Centre for experience sharing and also consider diaspora voting practised by Cape Verde.
Meanwhile, United States has congratulated President-elect Neves on his victory as well as the people of Cape Verde for a peaceful election.
"Cape Verde’s peaceful multi-party democracy is widely regarded as one of the most stable and democratic models in Africa," the Spokesperson for the US State Department, Ned Price, said in a statement.
"I congratulate all candidates, election workers, and voters for conducting an election that was free and fair and procedurally transparent in keeping with Cape Verde’s strong commitment to democratic values," he said.
-0- PANA PR/MA 19Oct2021
