Opposition candidate Neves wins Cape Verde election

Josia Maria Neves, a former prime minister, wins the presidency in the first round as his main rival concedes defeat.

Opposition candidate and former Prime Minister Jose Maria Neves won Cape Verde’s presidential election on Sunday, as his main rival, the ruling party’s flagbearer Carlos Veiga, conceded defeat.

Neves, 61, who served as prime minister from 2000-2016, will inherit the responsibility for stabilising the Atlantic archipelago nation’s tourism-driven economy after the COVID-19 pandemic drove it deep into recession.

President Jorge Carlos Fonseca is stepping down after serving the maximum two five-year terms allowed by the constitution.