Cape Verdeans are heading to the polls in their general election, with seven presidential candidates in the running.
The two front-runners are Carlos Veiga and José Maria Neves – both of whom are former prime ministers.
The country has struggled to revive its tourism-driven economy in the midst of a global pandemic, and has been hit by inflation according to the AFP news agency.
Carlos Veiga from the ruling centre-right Movement for Democracy party is running to be head of state for the third time and has pitched himself as the stable candidate, Reuters news agency reports.
Meanwhile his opponent Jose Maria Neves from the left-leaning African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde has said he’ll be strong on the economy, according to the same source.
The political situation in Cape Verde is generally stable during elections compared to other African nations, with the last vote in 2016 considered free and fair.
Results are expected on Sunday evening, according to AFP.
If no candidate wins more than half of the votes, it will go to a run-off between the top two on 31 October.
The country also allows people in the diaspora to cast their ballot, but the total of their vote is only worth one fifth of the total of native Cape Verdeans.
BBC
