Cape Verde

Cape Verde An island state in the Atlantic, occupied by Portugal since 1595. Most indigenous farmers lost their land during the Portuguese Estado Novo from 1926. After independence on 5 July 1975, it was governed by the Partido Africano da Independência da Guinée de Cabo Verde (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde), which strove for the unification of the country with Guinea-Bissau. When this was rendered impossible by a military coup there (1980), the party was renamed the Partido Africano da Independência de Cabo Verde (African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde, PAICV), turning its attention to domestic economic and social reform. It introduced free elections in 1991, which were duly won by the opposition, the Movimento para Democracia (Movement for Democracy, MPD), supported by the majority of the population living abroad. The MPD's new dominance of the country's political system was confirmed in the 1995 parliamentary elections, which it won with an overwhelming majority. Despite attempts to promote capitalism and economic diversification, into tourism for example, the country's economy still depended on foreign aid, which amounted to around 70 per cent of its total foreign income in the 1990s. Unemployment remained high, and Cape Verde remained one of the World's poorest countries. In 2001, the PAICV gained an absolute majority in the National Assembly. In the presidential elections, Pedro Pires of the PAICV won by a margin of only thirteen votes.