Africa-Press – Cape verde. Elisa Pinheiro, in Porto Novo, and Maria Teresa Cruz, in Ribeira Grande de Santo Antão, are the two women who top the PAICV lists for local authorities this year. With 22 municipal councils in dispute, the President of PAICV, Rui Semedo, presented 20 candidates. The candidate from Santa Catarina do Fogo will be presented at another date and, in Brava, the party has not yet chosen a name.
All Mayors elected by PAICV in the last municipal elections will return to run with the support of the party, announced Rui Semedo, President of PAICV, last Friday at a press conference.
In a list that includes two women (Elisa Pinheiro in Porto Novo and Maria Teresa Cruz in Ribeira Grande de Santo Antão) two candidates were missing. In Brava where the party “has not yet managed to find a name”, as Rui Semedo said, and in Santa Catarina do Fogo, where “there is already a candidate, but at his request the name will be released at a later date”.
For these local authorities, the President of PAICV established victory in “at least 12 Chambers” as a “minimum goal”.
“Some people told me that I shouldn’t make this announcement, because then I will be charged. But I want to be held accountable for the challenge I launch and the responsibility I assume. Our minimum goal is to have 12 chambers”, stated Rui Semedo, who guaranteed that his party “will have a special strategy” in each of the municipalities in which it is running, but with special attention to Praia, whose Chamber the MpD has already guaranteed that it wants regain.
Before presenting the candidates, Rui Semedo explained that this list arises because “some time ago we defined the criteria, which was the search within society for personalities with a suitable profile to assume leadership at local level”.
“A widespread consensus is that there are some territorial spaces that are unable to take the leap and promote development due to a lack of lucid, capable, visionary, mobilizing leaders who are able to take advantage of the potential of territorial spaces”, he added.
Furthermore, the President of PAICV pointed to these local authorities as being a “sign that things are not well” at a national level.
“[The local authorities] are important because they are a contribution to changing what is not right at the country level. Changing the quality of freedom. Changing the quality of democracy. Change the understanding between local power and central power. Create the conditions so that this country can develop without constraints. Therefore, the country needs and calls for change”, said Rui Semedo.
Text originally published in the printed edition of Expresso das Ilhas no 1170 of May 1, 2024.
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