Africa-Press – Cape verde. The president of the UCID stated this Sunday that the party aims to elect a Member of Parliament for São Nicolau in the legislative elections on May 17, advocating for a “more balanced” Parliament with greater representation for the island.
During a press conference to present the UCID’s candidate list for São Nicolau, João Santos Luís highlighted that the selection of Elton Sequeira and Nelson Spencer—running as independents—reflects the party’s openness to civil society and the academic community.
“We want Elton Sequeira to be elected as an MP so that São Nicolau may have a firm and determined voice in Parliament, defending the interests and concerns of a people who have been abandoned by the parties that have governed Cabo Verde over these past 50 years,” he said.
According to the leader of the Christian Democrats, São Nicolau has been “abandoned” by successive governments throughout the 50 years of independence, citing transportation, healthcare, and vocational training for youth as the primary areas of neglect.
João Santos Luís criticized the country’s maritime transport policy, asserting that governments holding absolute majorities have “failed to resolve” the problem of inter-island connectivity, despite possessing the necessary conditions to do so.
The UCID president also argued for the necessity of “political balance” within Parliament, deeming the continued existence of absolute majorities in the country to be “dangerous.”
“As of May 17, we have two options: either maintain absolute majorities—which we consider extremely dangerous for Cabo Verde—or balance Parliament so that it may truly serve as the center of power,” he said.
In the leader’s view, the current Parliament has functioned merely as a “rubber-stamping body” for government decisions.
On the political-administrative front, João Santos Luís reiterated his advocacy for regionalization as a mechanism to foster a “true decentralization” of power and reduce inequalities among the islands.
“What truly serves the islands is decentralization—specifically, the delegation of powers, financial resources, and autonomy,” he maintained. Addressing young people, he called for participation in the legislative elections of May 17, 2026, advocating for a reduction in the voter abstention rate recorded during the last legislative elections.
In the legislative elections of May 17, five parties—PAICV, MpD, UCID, PTS, and PP—are competing for the 72 parliamentary seats in the National Assembly, distributed across 13 electoral districts: ten within the country and three in the diaspora.
In the last legislative elections, held on April 18, 2021, the MpD won an absolute majority by electing 38 deputies, followed by the PAICV with 30 and the UCID with four.
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