The former prime minister of Cape Verde, Pedro Pires, announced on Tuesday that he would run for president in elections due to be held early next year, the BBC reported. No date has been set.
Pires was the former Portuguese colony’s prime minister, under the Partido Africano da Independencia da Guine e Cabo Verde (PAIGC), until its first democratic elections were held in 1991. The PAIGC governed Cape Verde
under one-party rule from 1981-1991.
Pires is the third candidate vying to
replace President Antonio Mascarenhas Monteiro, who has served two terms.
The other candidates are Carlos Veiga, a former prime minister under the
ruling Movimiento para a Democracia (MPD), and David Hopher.
Pires said he hoped to create the best conditions for participation of all
political forces for the consolidation of democracy on the island nation.
Presidential terms in Cape Verde are for five years.
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