Cape Verde Holds Presidential Run-Off

Posted August 21st, 2011 at 7:45 am (UTC-5)
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Voters in Cape Verde went to the polls Sunday to choose a new president in a run-off election.

The vote is a contest between Manuel Inocencio Sousa of the ruling African Party of the Independence of Cape Verde and Jorge Carlos Fonseca of the opposition Movement for Democracy .

Fonseca, a former foreign minister, won the first round of voting two weeks ago, leading all candidates with 37 percent. Sousa, who currently is minister for infrastructure and transport, was second with 33 percent.

The winner will succeed President Pedro Pires, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.

Cape Verde, an archipelago off the coast of West Africa, has enjoyed stability and steady economic growth in recent years despite chronic drought.

The president is the official head of state though most power rests with the government and parliament. The ruling PAICV won parliamentary elections in February.