Government and power in Cabo Verde

Who leads Cabo Verde, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary semi-presidential republic.

Who leads Cabo Verde?

• Head of state: José Maria Pereira Neves (Président de la République de Cabo Verde)
• Head of government: Francisco Avelino Vieira de Carvalho (Premier Ministre et Ministre des finances de la République de Cabo Verde)
• Foreign minister: Manuel Augusto Lima Amante da Rosa (Ministre des Affaires Étrangères, des Communautés et de la Défense nationale de la République de Cabo Verde)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Cabo Verde

Government

• Government of Cabo Verde
  Council of Ministers decisions, government programmes and official news.

Parliament

• National Assembly
  Plenary records, bills and laws approved, and the list of deputies.

Elections

• National Elections Commission
  Election results, electoral maps and deliberations on electoral processes.

Courts

• Supreme Court of Justice
  Judgments and information on the highest court of ordinary jurisdiction.
• Constitutional Court
  Judgments on constitutionality and electoral matters.

Public audit

• Court of Auditors
  Opinions on the General State Account, audit reports and rulings on public accounts.

Ombudsman

• Ombudsman
  Annual reports and recommendations on complaints against public bodies.

Public contracts

• Public Procurement Regulatory Authority
  Procurement regulation, tender notices, statistics and decisions on public contracts in Cabo Verde.

Laws and the official gazette

• Official Bulletin (National Printing Office)
  The Boletim Oficial, with laws, decrees and official notices.

Government below the national level

• Municipalities (22): Municipal assembly and câmara municipal both elected by voters every four years
• Parishes (freguesias, 32): No separate elected body in most cases

How local power works in Cabo Verde

Places in Cabo Verde

• Official statistics for Cabo Verde

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.