Cabo Verde / Cape Verde - Political Parties
Among both scholars and visitors, Cape Verde is typically labeled an African exception. In its history the country has faced no wars, and it has relatively low levels of corruption and urban violence. Power has alternated between the two most important parties with no rupture of the institutional order. This combination of political stability and social peace certainly differentiates Cape Verde’s history from that of most other African countries.
The opening of the country to the international community was one of the reasons for the gradual transformation of the political system in a democratic direction. Though oneparty rule was sustained until the late 1980s, PAICV [African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde] leaders realized that maintaining the growing assistance of western countries required an expansion of democratic competition. In September of 1990, the country’s constitution was changed to allow for multiparty competition and the introduction of a semipresidential regime.
Despite the short period of time between the inauguration of the new constitution, which allowed for the existence of opposition parties, and the first elections, in January of 1991, a dissident group from PAICV formed the Movement for Democracy (MPD). The new party was not in any way prohibited or coerced by the PAICV. Rather, continuous dialogue was maintained between the two groups, leading scholars to argue that the transition from one-party rule to multiparty competition in Cape Verde was a negotiated one.
Nonetheless, this negotiated character did not negate conflict and disputes between opposing political forces. The opposition did influence governmental decisions that led to the opening of the regime, but in Cape Verde conflicts did not lead to institutional breakdown. Another aspect of the Cape Verdean transition that re-inforces its negotiated nature is the absence of popular participation and mobilization. The transition was accomplished from the top down in the sense that it was mainly a consequence of elite negotiation and decision, with little or no popular participation.
To the surprise and dismay of PAICV, the MPD won the elections of 1991, becoming the majority party in parliament and electing the president. Évora claims that the brevity of the period between the change in party rules (which allowed a multiparty system) and the actual election is the essence of understanding MPD’s victory. The short time span did not allow for the formation of various independent political parties. Thus PAICV stood for the system of one-party rule and was blamed for all the problems the population then faced, and MPD represented change and openness. The two parties became polarized, and this polarization ultimately harmed the PAICV.
With the victory of the MPD came drastic changes in the economy. The new government’s basic goal was the reduction of government intervention in the economy, expansion of privatization, and further opening of the country to the international economy. In 1995, the MPD’s governing strategy was rewarded with victory in both the National Assembly and the presidency.
A widening process of privatization and a strengthening of ties between Cape Verde and Portugal marked the second term of the MPD. In fact, Portuguese companies bought most of the public firms sold under the MPD government. A collateral effect of market reform was an increase in inequality between the urban rich, who benefited from the privatization process, and the inhabitants of rural, poorer areas, still excluded from the benefits of the market economy.
In the 2001 elections, the collateral effects of economic reforms took their toll. During the campaign the MPD faced fierce criticism from a better structured, more unified, and more experienced PAICV, now under the control of the post-independence generation of the party. PAICV keenly criticized what it considered an indiscriminate urge to sell national firms to foreign owners. The MPD, in addition to facing a more skilled adversary than in the two previous elections, was driven by internal disputes. These disputes arose mostly during its second term in office because the party appeared unconcerned about the social consequences of economic reform. Disputes about the party’s candidate for president also caused divisions inside the party. The disagreements about this question were so insurmountable that they led to the creation of altogether new political party, Partido Renovador Democrático (PRD), which further increased the electoral vulnerability of the MPD.
The result was the victory of the PAICV in both parliamentary and presidential elections. The presidential elections were especially competitive, requiring two rounds and a face-off between Pedro Pires from the PAICV and Carlos Veiga from the MPD. Pires won by 12 votes. Initially, the results were contested in court. But, after a Supreme Court ruling that favored the PAICV, the MPD accepted its defeat, thus signifying the maturation of political parties in Cape Verde and showing that the social consequences of political reform did affect voters’ choices. Pedro Pires and the current PAICV Prime Minister, José Maria Neves, headed the government since that election.
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