African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde
Encyclopedia
The African Party of Independence of Cape Verde is a former socialist party
and presently a social-democratic political party
in Cape Verde
. Its members are nicknamed “os tambarinas” in Portuguese (the tamarind
s), and they identify themselves with the color yellow.
(PAIGC), was founded by the Cape Verdean nationalist leader Amílcar Cabral
. PAIGC fought to overthrow the Portuguese Empire
, unify Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau
, and of use its vanguardism
to advance socialist revolution.
From 1961 on, the PAIGC fought a guerrilla warfare
campaign in cooperation with its fraternal party
umbrella group, the CONCP, during the Portuguese Colonial War
. By 1973 the PAIGC controlled Guinea-Bissau, while Portugal
's own Carnation Revolution
in 1974 effectively dissolved the empire, relinquishing Cape Verde within the next year.
After the wars of national liberation
, the PAIGC established a socialist state
within both territories under the late Amilcar Cabral's brother, Luís Cabral
.
.
replaced him in August 1990. The PAICV won 23 of the 79 National Assembly
seats in the January 1991 multiparty parliamentary election, losing to the Movement for Democracy
(MpD). Pereira was subsequently defeated in the February 1991 presidential election, and PAICV again fared poorly in the December 1991 local elections. At a party congress in August 1993, Pires was replaced as General Secretary by Aristides Lima and was instead elected as President of PAICV.
The PAICV won 21 out of 72 National Assembly seats in the December 1995 parliamentary election. At a PAICV congress in September 1997, Pires faced José Maria Neves
in a leadership contest, and Pires was elected with 68% of the vote. Pires stepped down as PAICV President in 2000 in preparation for a presidential bid in the next year's election and he was succeeded by Neves.
held on 11 and 25 February 2001, PAICV candidate Pedro Pires, who won 46.52% of the vote in the first round, narrowly defeated the MpD's Carlos Veiga
by a margin of only 12 votes in the run-off
.
held on 22 January 2006, PAICV won 52.28% of the popular vote and 41 out of 72 seats in the National Assembly.
In the presidential election
held on 12 February 2006, Pedro Pires again defeated Carlos Veiga, winning 50.98% of the vote.
and São Filipe
.
The party is a full member of the Socialist International
.
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and presently a social-democratic political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
. Its members are nicknamed “os tambarinas” in Portuguese (the tamarind
Tamarind
Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...
s), and they identify themselves with the color yellow.
Forerunner
In 1956, its forerunner, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape VerdeAfrican Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde or PAIGC is a political party that governed Guinea-Bissau from the independence of the then Portuguese Guinea in 1974, until the late 1990s, and from 2004 to 2005. Currently it is the party with the largest number of seats in the...
(PAIGC), was founded by the Cape Verdean nationalist leader Amílcar Cabral
Amílcar Cabral
Amílcar Lopes da Costa Cabral was a Guinea-Bissauan and Cape Verdean agricultural engineer, writer, and a nationalist thinker and politician. Also known by his nom de guerre Abel Djassi, Cabral led the nationalist movement of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde Islands and the ensuing war of independence...
. PAIGC fought to overthrow the Portuguese Empire
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
, unify Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
, and of use its vanguardism
Vanguardism
In the context of revolutionary struggle, vanguardism is a strategy whereby an organization attempts to place itself at the center of the movement, and steer it in a direction consistent with its ideology....
to advance socialist revolution.
From 1961 on, the PAIGC fought a guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
campaign in cooperation with its fraternal party
Fraternal party
Fraternal party literally means brother party. The term refers to a political party officially affiliated with another, often larger and/or international, political party or governmental party....
umbrella group, the CONCP, during the Portuguese Colonial War
Portuguese Colonial War
The Portuguese Colonial War , also known in Portugal as the Overseas War or in the former colonies as the War of liberation , was fought between Portugal's military and the emerging nationalist movements in Portugal's African colonies between 1961 and 1974, when the Portuguese regime was...
. By 1973 the PAIGC controlled Guinea-Bissau, while Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
's own Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
in 1974 effectively dissolved the empire, relinquishing Cape Verde within the next year.
After the wars of national liberation
Wars of national liberation
In Marxist terminology, wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by oppressed nationalities against imperial powers to establish separate sovereign states for the subjugated nationality. From a Western point of view, these same wars are called insurgencies...
, the PAIGC established a socialist state
Socialist state
A socialist state generally refers to any state constitutionally dedicated to the construction of a socialist society. It is closely related to the political strategy of "state socialism", a set of ideologies and policies that believe a socialist economy can be established through government...
within both territories under the late Amilcar Cabral's brother, Luís Cabral
Luís Cabral
Luís Severino de Almeida Cabral was the first President of Guinea-Bissau. He served from 1974 to 1980, when a military coup d'état led by João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira deposed him...
.
PAICV Established
Following a military coup in Guinea-Bissau that ousted Cabral in November 1980, the Cape Verde portion of the party became the PAICV in January 1981; it was headed by the President of Cape Verde, Aristides PereiraAristides Pereira
Aristides Maria Pereira was the first President of Cape Verde, serving from 1975 to 1991.-Biography:Pereira was born on the island of Boa Vista. His first major government job was chief of telecommunications in Guinea-Bissau...
.
Multiparty Democracy
At an extraordinary party congress in February 1990, the PAICV approved the introduction of multiparty democracy. Pereira stepped down as General Secretary of PAICV in July 1990, and Prime Minister Pedro PiresPedro Pires
Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pires was the President of Cape Verde from March 2001 to September 2011. Before becoming President, he was Prime Minister from 1975 to 1991....
replaced him in August 1990. The PAICV won 23 of the 79 National Assembly
National Assembly of Cape Verde
The unicameral National Assembly is the legislative body of the Republic of Cape Verde.- National People's Assembly :The country's first legislative election took place in June 1975...
seats in the January 1991 multiparty parliamentary election, losing to the Movement for Democracy
Movement for Democracy (Cape Verde)
The Movimento para a Democracia is a ideological liberal party in Cape Verde. It was in power between 1991 and 2001. MPD was created on March 14, 1990, and their first convention was held in November 1990. They won the first elections after the end of the one-party system in Cape Verde, with more...
(MpD). Pereira was subsequently defeated in the February 1991 presidential election, and PAICV again fared poorly in the December 1991 local elections. At a party congress in August 1993, Pires was replaced as General Secretary by Aristides Lima and was instead elected as President of PAICV.
The PAICV won 21 out of 72 National Assembly seats in the December 1995 parliamentary election. At a PAICV congress in September 1997, Pires faced José Maria Neves
José Maria Neves
José Maria Pereira Neves on the island of Santiago , is the Prime Minister of Cape Verde.“José Maria Neves became interested in the politics and government of Cape Verde as a teen-ager.” “He was the leader of a nationalist youth organization during the country’s transition from Portuguese rule to...
in a leadership contest, and Pires was elected with 68% of the vote. Pires stepped down as PAICV President in 2000 in preparation for a presidential bid in the next year's election and he was succeeded by Neves.
2001 Election
In the presidential electionCape Verdean presidential election, 2001
Presidential elections were held in Cape Verde on 11 February 2001, with a second round on 25 February after no candidate achieved outright victory in the first round. The result was a victory for Pedro Pires of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde, who defeated Carlos Veiga of the...
held on 11 and 25 February 2001, PAICV candidate Pedro Pires, who won 46.52% of the vote in the first round, narrowly defeated the MpD's Carlos Veiga
Carlos Veiga
Carlos Alberto Wahnon de Carvalho Veiga is a Cape Verdean politician. He was Prime Minister of Cape Verde from April 4, 1991 to July 29, 2000, and he unsuccessfully ran for President as the candidate of the Movement for Democracy in 2001 and 2006....
by a margin of only 12 votes in the run-off
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
.
2006 Election
In the parliamentary electionCape Verde parliamentary election, 2006
A parliamentary election took place in Cape Verde on 22 January 2006. This was the country's fourth legislative election since the introduction of multiparty politics in 1990....
held on 22 January 2006, PAICV won 52.28% of the popular vote and 41 out of 72 seats in the National Assembly.
In the presidential election
Cape Verde presidential election, 2006
A presidential election took place in Cape Verde on 12 February 2006. This was the country's fourth presidential election since the introduction of multiparty politics in 1990....
held on 12 February 2006, Pedro Pires again defeated Carlos Veiga, winning 50.98% of the vote.
Focus and Affiliation
The PAICV, which advertises itself as an Africa-oriented political party in contrast to the somewhat neoliberal MpD, enjoys its greatest support in the municipalities most comparable to those on the African mainland: the dense urban areas such as Praia, and rural agricultural areas such as Santa CruzSanta Cruz, Cape Verde
Santa Cruz is a municipality located in the eastern part of the island of Santiago in Sotavento in southern Cape Verde and is ranked fourth in Cape Verde. The municipal is around 32,965, the area is 150 km² and the density is about 205/km². The seat of the municipality is Vila de Pedra Badejo...
and São Filipe
São Filipe, Cape Verde
São Filipe , or San Filipi in Cape Verdean Creole, is the city that constitutes the seat of the São Filipe Municipality, in Cape Verde.It is located SW of the island and in the southwestern part of the island...
.
The party is a full member of the Socialist International
Socialist International
The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...
.