Cabo Verde: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Cabo Verde conventional short form: Cabo Verde local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde local short form: Cabo Verde etymology: the name derives from Cap-Vert (Green Cape) on the Senegalese coast, the westernmost point of Africa and the nearest mainland to the islands |
|---|---|
| Government type | parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Praia
Praia
geographic coordinates: 14 55 N, 23 31 W time difference: UTC-1 (4 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | 22 municipalities (concelhos, singular - concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul, Porto Novo, Praia, Ribeira Brava, Ribeira Grande, Ribeira Grande de Santiago, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina do Fogo, Santa Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Filipe, Sao Lourenco dos Orgaos, Sao Miguel, Sao Salvador do Mundo, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal, Tarrafal de Sao Nicolau |
| Independence | 5 July 1975 (from Portugal) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 5 July (1975) |
| Constitution | previous 1981; latest effective 25 September 1992; revised 1995, 1999, 2010 (2016) |
| Legal system | civil law system of Portugal |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Cabo Verde dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Jorge Carlos FONSECA (since 9 September 2011) head of government: Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e SILVA (since 22 April 2016) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 2 October 2016 (next to be held in 2021); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president election results: percent of vote - Jorge Carlos FONSECA (MPD) 74%, Albertino GRACA (independent) 23%, other 3% |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 20 March 2016 (next to be held in 2021) election results: percent of vote by party NA; seats by party - MPD 40, PAICV 29, UCID 3 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Supreme Court of Justice (consists of the chief justice and at least 7 judges and organized into civil, criminal, and administrative sections) judge selection and term of office: judge appointments - 1 by the president of the republic, 1 elected by the National Assembly, and 3 by the Superior Judicial Council (SJC), a 16-member independent body chaired by the chief justice and includes the attorney general, 8 private citizens, 2 judges, 2 prosecutors, the senior legal inspector of the Attorney General's office, and a representative of the Ministry of Justice; chief justice appointed by the president of the republic from among peers of the Supreme Court of Justice and in consultation with the SJC; judges appointed for life subordinate courts: appeals courts, first instance (municipal) courts; audit, military, and fiscal and customs courts |
| Political parties and leaders | African Party for Independence of Cabo Verde or PAICV (Janira Hopffer ALMADA) Democratic and Independent Cabo Verdean Union or UCID (Antonio MONTEIRO) Democratic Christian Party or PDC (Manuel RODRIGUES) Democratic Renovation Party or PRD (Victor FIDALGO) Movement for Democracy or MPD (Ulisses CORREIA e Silva) Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD (Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO) Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS (Anibal MEDINA) Social Democratic Party or PSD (Joao ALEM) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | other: environmentalists; political pressure groups |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CD, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Jose Luis Fialho ROCHA (since 14 July 2014) chancery: 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: (1) (202) 965-6820 FAX: (1) (202) 965-1207 consulate(s) general: Boston |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Donald L. HEFLIN (since 29 January 2015) embassy: Rua Abilio Macedo 6, Praia mailing address: C. P. 201, Praia telephone: (238) 2-60-89-00 FAX: (238) 2-61-13-55 |
| Flag description | five unequal horizontal bands; the top-most band of blue - equal to one half the width of the flag - is followed by three bands of white, red, and white, each equal to 1/12 of the width, and a bottom stripe of blue equal to one quarter of the flag width; a circle of 10, yellow, five-pointed stars is centered on the red stripe and positioned 3/8 of the length of the flag from the hoist side; blue stands for the sea and the sky, the circle of stars represents the 10 major islands united into a nation, the stripes symbolize the road to formation of the country through peace (white) and effort (red) |
| National symbol(s) | ten, five-pointed, yellow stars; national colors: blue, white, red, yellow |
| National anthem | name: "Cantico da Liberdade" (Song of Freedom) lyrics/music: Amilcar Spencer LOPES/Adalberto Higino Tavares SILVA note: adopted 1996 |