Cape Verde votes for president with emigration in focus

Cape Verdeans voted on Sunday for the next president with incumbent José Maria Neves challenged by the archipelago's first female candidate, a former justice minister, in a campaign focused on the need ‌to create more jobs for young people. Situated more than 600 km (373 miles) west of mainland Africa, the former Portuguese colony is home to around 500,000 people, with a larger number of Cape Verdeans living overseas, mainly in the US and Portugal.

The Atlantic island nation, which drew global attention ‌this year with its exploits at the soccer World Cup, is one of Africa's most stable democracies but has lost many young ‌people to jobs abroad. Voters said there was apathy among young people despite politicians' focus on them in campaign messages.

"Voter turnout appears to be low, particularly among young people. I am not seeing many young people heading to the polling stations," said Margarida Varela, a voter in the capital Praia. Mario Marques, another voter in Praia, agreed.

"Despite all ⁠the ​talk about young people, many are ⁠neither motivated nor interested in following politics," he said. INCUMBENT NEVES IS FAVOURITE

Neves, 66, who was prime minister for 15 years and became president in 2021, is from Cape ⁠Verde's oldest political party, the centre-left African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV). "We will have a president who is in tune with the ​times," he said after casting his vote.

Analysts have tipped Neves out of the six candidates, including his main challenger Joana Rosa of ⁠the centre-right Movement for Democracy party, which had governed for 10 years prior to a May legislative vote. "I want to be a president who protects the country from corruption, ⁠political ​interference and cronyism," Rosa, 61, told a final rally on the eve of the vote.

Neves has vowed to organize a youth summit if he secures a second term while Rosa has said the government should make it possible for young people to build a ⁠future and slow the exodus. The ruling PAICV party won 37 out of 72 seats in legislative elections in May, allowing Francisco Carvalho ⁠to become prime minister.

Polls opened at 8 ⁠a.m. (0900 GMT) and close at 6 p.m. (1900 GMT), with official provisional results expected in two or three days. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the two top candidates will compete in ‌a runoff on November ‌29.