Cape Verde Passport

[Country Name] The Republic of Cabo Verde (Rep ú blica de Cabo Verde).

【 Area 】 4033 square kilometers.

Population: 546000 people. The vast majority are Creoles, accounting for 71% of the total population; Black people account for 28% and European people account for 1%. The official language is Portuguese, and the national language is Creole. 98% of the residents believe in Catholicism, with a few adhering to other religions such as Protestantism.

【 Capital 】 Praia. The population is 151000. The highest temperature is 31 ℃ and the lowest is 20 ℃.

President Jose Maria Pereira Neves was elected in October 2021 for a five-year term.

Independence Day: July 5th.

In the North Atlantic, the Cape Verde Islands are located over 500 kilometers east of the westernmost point of the African continent, Cape Verde (within Senegal), with a coastline of 912.5 kilometers. It belongs to a tropical dry climate, with the prevailing dry and hot northeast trade winds throughout the year, and an average annual temperature of 20 ℃ -27 ℃.

In 1495, it became a Portuguese colony. In 1951, it became a Portuguese province. Since 1956, under the leadership of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), the people of Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau have been fighting side by side for national independence. On July 5, 1975, Cape Verde declared independence and established the Republic of Cape Verde. Aristides Pereira, the General Secretary of the PAIGC, served as the first President. In 1981, the Cape Verde African Independence Party (referred to as the Independence Party) was established, ending the one party situation between Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau. In 1990, a multi-party system was implemented. In 1991, parliamentary and presidential elections were held, and the Democratic Movement for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (MDC) defeated the Independence Party to win. The MDC candidate Antonio Montero was elected president.

Since the implementation of a multi-party system in 1990, the Independence Party and the Democratic Movement have taken turns in power. In March 2016, the pro democracy movement won the Buddhist council elections and regained its governing position. The party's chairman Silva became prime minister in April. In October of the same year, the independent candidate supported by the pro democracy movement, Fonseca, was re elected as president. In April 2021, the Democratic Movement won the parliamentary elections again, with party chairman Silva re elected as Prime Minister. In October of the same year, the candidate supported by the Independence Party, Neves, won the presidential election and was sworn in in in November.

At the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 broke out in Foshan, and the Buddhist government quickly took measures to ban it, and launched a vaccination plan. The national vaccination rate reached 85%. Currently, Buddha has lifted the restrictions on the epidemic.

The current Constitution is the second constitution of the Buddha. It was passed by the National Assembly in August 1992 and came into effect on September 25th. It was revised twice in November 1995 and July 1999. According to the constitution, Cape Verde is a sovereign country governed by democracy and the rule of law, implementing a pluralistic democracy and parliamentary system. The President is the head of state and is elected by universal suffrage for a term of five years, renewable once. The government is the highest administrative body of the country and is accountable to the parliament. The Prime Minister is the head of government, nominated by the ruling party or ruling party coalition that wins parliamentary elections, and appointed by the President.

The main functions of the National Assembly are to amend the Constitution, enact laws, supervise the implementation of the Constitution and laws, approve international treaties, initiate referendums, decide on amnesty, approve decrees, and review and approve the government's policy agenda, development plans, and budget. The current parliament was elected in April 2021 for a term of 5 years. The pro democracy movement holds 38 out of 72 seats, the Independence Party holds 30 seats, and the Cape Verde Democratic Independence Union Christian Democratic Party holds 4 seats. Speaker Austerino Correia, a pro democracy activist, was elected in May 2021.

The current government was formed on May 20, 2021, with the following main members: Prime Minister Jos é Ulisses Correia e Silva, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Business Development and Digital Economy Olavo Correia, Minister of State and Minister of Family, Inclusion and Social Development Fernando El í sio Freire, Minister of State and Defense, Minister of Land Consolidation, Minister of the Council of Ministers and Parliamentary Affairs Janine Lelis (female), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Regional Integration Jos é Filomeno Monteiro, and overseas Chinese. Minister Jorge Santos, Interior Minister Paulo Rocha, Attorney General Joana Rosa (female), Minister of State and Public Administration Modernization É DNA Oliveira (female), Minister of Education Amadeu Cruz, Minister of Health Filomena Gon ç alves (female), Minister of Culture and Creative Industries Augusto Jorge de Albuquerque Veiga, Minister of the Ocean Jorge Mauricio dos Santos, Minister of Tourism and Transport Carlos Santos, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Gilbert Silva, Minister of Industry and Trade With Energy Minister Alexandre Monteiro, Eunice Silva, Minister of Infrastructure, National Planning and Housing, and Carlos Monteiro, Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports.

The country was originally divided into 16 counties, but in January 1997 it was reorganized into 17 cities, and in May 2005 it increased to 22 cities.

The judiciary is divided into three levels: the Supreme Court, regional courts, and district courts. The President appoints and removes the President of the Supreme Court. The current President of the Supreme Court is temporarily represented by Benfeito Mosso Ramos, who took office in February 2009. The procuratorate is divided into three levels. The Attorney General is appointed and dismissed by the President. The current Attorney General, Lu í s Jos é Tavares Landim, took office in October 2019.

There are two main political parties:

(1) Movement for Democracy (Movimento para a Democrasia): The ruling party. Established on March 14, 1990, it was in power from 1991 to 2000 and returned to power in 2016. The purpose is to develop the country in a democratic way. Advocate political pluralism and economic privatization, promote market economy and trade liberalization, and establish connections with other international political parties on a democratic basis. In June 2003, joined the centrist Democratic International. Former President Fonseca was one of the founders of the pro democracy movement and became an independent member of the Progressive Party. He was elected president in 2011 with the support of the pro democracy movement. In June 2013, the then mayor of Praia and current prime minister Silva was elected as the new party chairman, and has since been re elected, with the most recent re-election in April 2023. In 2021, the pro democracy movement won the parliamentary elections and continued to govern. The current General Secretary is Luis Carlos Silva.

(2) Partido Africano da Independincia de Cabo Verde: the main opposition party. Established in 1981 after splitting from the African Independence Party. There are currently over 11000 party members. After Buddha's independence in 1975, he held power for a long time. He failed in the 1991 elections and won consecutive parliamentary elections in 2001, 2006, and 2011. In 2016 and 2021, he lost and became an opposition party. Advocate for advancing the democratic process and establishing social justice. Joined the Socialist International in 1992. In December 2021, Rui Mendes Semedo, who had previously served as Minister of Defense and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs in the Independence Party government, was elected as the new party chairman. The current General Secretary is Juli ã o Correia Varela.

Other political parties include: Uni ã o Cabo Verdiana Independente e Democr á tica Partido Democr á tico Crist ã o, UCID-PDC）； Partido de Trabalho e da Solidariedade (PTS); The Democratic Renewal Party (Partido da Renova çã o Democr á tica), PRD）； Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democr á tico) and others.

[Important Person] Jose Maria Pereira Neves: President. Born on March 28, 1960 on Santiago Island, Cape Verde. Elected as the Chairman of the Buddha Independence Party in 2000. In 2001, 2006, and 2011, he led the Independence Party to win parliamentary elections three times and served as Prime Minister three times. After losing the 2016 Independence Party parliamentary elections, he taught at the University of Cape Verde. Won the presidential election in October 2021 and was sworn in in November.

Jos é Ulises Correa Silva: Prime Minister. Born on June 4, 1962 in Praia, Santiago Island, Cape Verde. Graduated from Lisbon University of Technology in Portugal in 1988 with a Bachelor's degree in Business Organization and Management. From 1989 to 1994, worked at the Bank of Cape Verde as a senior researcher and director of the administrative management department. From 1995 to 1998, he served as the State Secretary for Finance of the government. From 1999 to 2000, he served as the Minister of Finance. In 2006, he was elected as a member of the National Assembly and served as the leader of the parliamentary pro democracy party group and vice chairman of the pro democracy movement. Elected as the Mayor of Praia in 2008. Appointed as Prime Minister in April 2016 and re elected in May 2021.

The economy is dominated by the service sector, with its output value accounting for over 70% of the gross domestic product. Food cannot be self-sufficient and the industrial foundation is weak. In the early 1990s, we began to reform the economic system, adjust the economic structure, and promote economic liberalization. After returning to power, the Independence Party proposed a national development strategy centered on developing the private economy, with a focus on developing tourism, agriculture, education, health, and infrastructure construction. In December 2007, Buddha joined the World Trade Organization. In 2008, Buddha officially left the least developed countries and entered the ranks of middle-income countries. In 2009, due to the impact of the international financial crisis and domestic natural disasters, economic growth slowed down. Since 2010, the government has significantly increased public investment to stimulate economic development. Since the second half of 2012, the lagging impact of the international financial crisis and the European sovereign debt crisis on the Buddhist economy has gradually become apparent, and the speed of economic development has slowed down again. In 2016, the Buddhist government launched a series of economic reform measures, which led to an overall improvement in the economy due to the impact of reform measures and the recovery of the eurozone. In 2020, the COVID-19 will have a serious impact on the economic development of Buddhism, and tourism and other pillar industries will be hit hard. To address the challenges, the government of Cape Verde has successively issued the "Cape Verde Development Plan 2021-2026", "Economic Revitalization Plan", and "Cape Verde's Second Sustainable Development Strategic Plan (2022-2026)", promoting the recovery of the tourism industry and economic diversification, prioritizing the development of green economy, blue economy, and digital economy. Main economic data for 2023:

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 2.509 billion US dollars.

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 4562 US dollars.

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 6%.

Currency name: Escudo, Cape Verde.

Exchange rate: 1 US dollar=100 Cape Verde Escudo.

Inflation rate: 4%.

(Source: Cape Verde National Bureau of Statistics, etc.)

【 Resources 】 The resources are scarce, and the main minerals include limestone, white garnet volcanic ash, pumice, rock salt, etc.

The industrial output value accounts for 23.1% of the gross domestic product, and workers account for about 29% of the total labor force. Weak foundation, mainly in the construction industry. Small and medium-sized construction companies mainly engage in commercial and residential construction, while several large companies mainly engage in infrastructure and public works construction. The manufacturing industry is underdeveloped and its proportion in the gross domestic product has been continuously decreasing in recent years, currently less than 1%. There are more than 150 small and medium-sized factories, mainly engaged in clothing, shoemaking, seafood processing, brewing, beverage bottling, etc.

The output value of agriculture and fisheries accounts for about 4.9% of the gross domestic product, and 25% of the country's population is engaged in agriculture and fisheries. The arable land covers 39000 hectares (excluding pastures), accounting for approximately 10% of the total land area. Among them, there are 3000 hectares of irrigated land and 36000 hectares of dry land, most of which are concentrated on the islands of Santiago and San Antonio. The main products include corn, beans, potatoes, sugarcane, bananas, coffee, etc. Due to poor natural conditions and frequent droughts, food cannot be self-sufficient, and the annual production can only meet 15% of demand.

Buddha has an exclusive economic zone of 734265 square kilometers, with abundant fishery resources that have not yet been fully developed and utilized. The fishing industry plays an important role in the national economy, with a population of about 14000 engaged in fishing. The annual catch can reach 37000 tons, and the annual export of seafood is about 10000 tons, mainly including lobsters, tuna, and shrimp. In 2011, fishery exports accounted for 56.4% of the total export value and were one of the important sources of foreign exchange for Foshan. In August 2014, Foshan signed a fisheries cooperation agreement with the European Union for the period 2014-2018, which stipulated that 71 EU fishing vessels could catch tuna and other seafood in Foshan's territorial waters. To this end, the EU would pay 550000 euros in compensation to Foshan annually from 2014-2015 and 500000 euros annually from 2016-2018. In June 2019, Cape Verde signed a new sustainable fishing partnership agreement with the European Union, with a contract period of 5 years, allowing 69 EU vessels to fish in Cape Verde's territorial waters, with an annual catch not exceeding 8000 tons. Buddha receives an annual compensation of $750000, of which 46% is used for sustainable fisheries management.

The service industry occupies a significant position in the national economy, mainly including tourism, transportation, business, and public services. The output value of the service industry accounts for about 72% of the gross domestic product. About 50% of the labor force is engaged in the service industry. The tourism industry has become the main source of economic growth and employment for the country. In 2018, the output value of the tourism industry accounted for about 46.2% of the gross domestic product, and the employment opportunities in the tourism industry accounted for 40.4% of the total employment opportunities in the country (source: World Tourism Council's 2019 Country Report). The development of tourism infrastructure is rapid. As of the end of 2018, there were a total of 284 hotels and 13187 guest rooms in Foshan. In 2019, Foshan attracted a total of about 819000 tourists, mainly from European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Affected by the COVID-19, the number of tourists will decline by 76.3% in 2020 and 24.9% in 2021. In 2022, the output value of Buddhist tourism industry increased by 481.5%, attracting 785000 tourists and basically returning to pre epidemic levels. (Source: National Bureau of Statistics of Buddha).

Transportation: The island has relatively complete transportation facilities such as ports and roads. The total length of the highway is 2250 kilometers, mainly consisting of stone roads. There are currently 78000 various types of motor vehicles. There are a total of 9 airports in the country. The A Cabral International Airport on Saar Island can accommodate Boeing 747 aircraft for takeoff and landing, with an annual passenger flow of 300000 people. The Capital Praia International Airport and Boavista Island City International Airport were completed and put into use in November 2005 and October 2007, respectively. Cape Verde Airlines operates international routes to Europe, Africa, Brazil, and the United States, while airlines and charter companies from European countries such as Portugal have flights to Cape Verde. In 2019, there were 2.772 million air passengers, a year-on-year increase of 2.6%. There are a total of 8 ports in the country, with the largest port being Porto Grande in the city of Mindoro. At the end of 2005, the government began expanding the Port of Praia. In 2007, the container throughput of various ports in Foshan was 50362 standard containers, an increase of 7% compared to 2006. Buddha has shipping routes to Portugal, Spain, Northern Europe, Brazil, and the African continent.

As of June 2022, foreign exchange reserves (excluding gold) amounted to 663 million US dollars. As of December 2021, the public debt of Buddha is approximately 2.8825 billion US dollars, accounting for 143% of GDP, of which domestic debt accounts for 41.5% of GDP and foreign debt accounts for 10.15% of GDP.

(Source: International Monetary Fund)

More than 80% of daily necessities, as well as all mechanical equipment, building materials, fuel, etc., rely on imports for foreign trade. The main export products are marine fuel, clothing, shoes, canned tuna, frozen fish, lobster, salt, volcanic ash, etc.

There is a huge trade deficit every year. The main trading partners are Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, etc. The recent trade situation of goods is as follows (in millions of euros):