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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

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

History: previous 1981; latest effective 25 September 1992

Amendments: proposals require support of at least four fifths of the active National Assembly membership; amendment drafts require sponsorship of at least one third of the active Assembly membership; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly membership; constitutional sections, including those on national independence, form of government, political pluralism, suffrage, and human rights and liberties, cannot be amended; revised 1995, 1999, 2010

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 Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 9 November 2021)

Head of government: Prime Minister Jose 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 17 October 2021 (next to be held in October 2026); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president

Election results: 2020

2016: Jorge Carlos FONSECA reelected president; percent of vote - Jorge Carlos FONSECA (MPD) 74.1%, Albertino GRACA (independent) 22.5%, other 3.4%

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 18 April 2021 (next to be held in April 2026)

Election results: percent of vote by party MPD 50.2%, PAICV 39.6%, UCID 9.0%, other 1.2%; seats by party - MPD 38, PAICV 30, UCID 4; composition as of October 2023 - men 42, women 30, percent of women 41.7%

Judicial Branch

Highest courts: 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 [Jose Maria Pereira NEVES]Democratic and Independent Cabo Verdean Union or UCID [JoÃ£o DOS SANTOS LUIS]Democratic Christian Party or PDC [Manuel RODRIGUES]Democratic Renewal 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]

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 Symbols

National Anthem

Lyrics music: Amilcar Spencer LOPES/Adalberto Higino Tavares SILVA

Note: adopted 1996

National Heritage