Cabo Verde Elects a President on 15 November, What to Know
CABO VERDE · ELECTION 2026
Key Facts
- —The country Atlantic island republic off West Africa; capital Praia, on Santiago island.
- —The date First round Sunday, 15 November; possible runoff Sunday, 29 November.
- —The candidates Six, including President José Maria Neves and former justice minister Joana Rosa.
- —For US visitors No visa for 30 days; State Department advisory is Level 1.
- —Prediction markets Polymarket gives Neves a 78% chance of winning (8 October, 8:00 a.m. ET).
- —Still open Whether a runoff is needed, US polling places, current airport fee.
Cabo Verde, also known as Cape Verde, chooses a president on Sunday, 15 November. Little changes for visitors, but a few election rules apply.
The Cabo Verde presidential election takes place on Sunday, 15 November 2026, across the Atlantic archipelago also known as Cape Verde. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two meet in a runoff on Sunday, 29 November.
For US visitors, the vote changes little: entry rules, flights and the State Department’s Level 1 rating stay the same. The practical rules are a campaign blackout the day before and an alcohol ban near polling stations.
When Cabo Verde Votes
President José Maria Neves set the dates by Presidential Decree 22/2026, published in the Official Gazette on Thursday, 30 July. The National Elections Commission (CNE) calendar, published on Monday, 3 August, sets Sunday, 29 November, for any second round.
The CNE, the body that runs Cape Verdean elections, confirms 15 November on its official election website. Polling stations open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.
Cabo Verde is four hours ahead of New York in mid-November. Polls therefore open at 4 a.m. and close at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
Under the Electoral Code, campaigning starts on the 17th day before the vote and ends at midnight two days before it. The CNE calendar therefore sets the campaign from Thursday, 29 October, to midnight on Friday, 13 November.
All election propaganda is then banned from the first minute of Saturday, 14 November, a reflection day before polling. To win outright, a candidate needs an absolute majority of valid votes, and blank ballots do not count, the CNE says.
Who Is on the Ballot
The Constitutional Court, which vets presidential bids, first admitted five candidates and rejected five others on Monday, 21 September, the CNE said. On appeal it admitted a sixth, Loisito Tavares de Sousa, after finding an error behind his rejection.
The CNE published the final list of six in the Official Gazette on Wednesday, 30 September. They are listed below in ballot order, set by a draw at the court on 17 September.
- Antero Lúcio Lopes Francês Tavares.
- Casimiro Jesus Lopes de Pina.
- José Maria Pereira Neves, the incumbent, seeking a second five-year term.
- Gilson João dos Santos Alves.
- Joana Gomes Rosa Amado, known as Joana Rosa, a former justice minister backed by the Movement for Democracy.
- Loisito Tavares de Sousa.
Expresso das Ilhas, a weekly paper in Praia, describes Neves and Rosa as the two main contenders. It reports that the Movement for Democracy (MpD), the centre-right party, formally backs Rosa.
Neves once led the centre-left African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), and he sought its support, Africanews reported. The PAICV won the legislative vote of Sunday, 17 May, with 48% against 44.8% for the MpD, CNE results show.
While Neves campaigns, National Assembly speaker Janira Hopffer Almada serves as acting president. The presidency’s website shows the acting president promulgating government decrees this week.
The president represents the state, promulgates or vetoes laws, appoints the prime minister and commands the armed forces, according to the CNE. The prime minister and cabinet run the government day to day.
Only Cape Verdean citizens aged 18 or over who are on the electoral roll can vote, the CNE says. Foreign residents and visitors have no vote in this election.
What Changes for Travellers
The Electoral Code lets campaign parades and motorcades run on any day and at any hour, within traffic and public-order limits. Outdoor rallies may not go on past 1 a.m., unless they are held in closed venues.
Organisers must notify civil and police authorities at least three days before a rally in a public place. Allow extra time on the roads in town centres between 29 October and 13 November.
On polling day, supplying or drinking alcohol is banned within 500 metres of any polling station, under the Electoral Code. Bars and restaurants close to schools or other polling venues are covered by the rule.
The chair of each polling station can turn away anyone who is visibly drunk or carrying a weapon. Elections must fall on a Sunday or a national holiday, the code says.
Entry Rules for US Citizens
US citizens need no tourist visa for stays of 30 days or less, according to the State Department. Passports must be valid for six months beyond the planned stay and have one blank page.
US visitors must register on EASE, the government’s online entry portal, and pay the airport security fee. The State Department says this can be done up to five days before arrival, or at the airport.
A 2018 decree-law set that fee, known locally as TSA, at 3,400 escudos (about US$35) for international flights. In July the Constitutional Court upheld it and ruled that legal foreign residents must share the nationals’ exemption.
People born in Cabo Verde are also exempt if an official document, such as a birth certificate, proves it, the ruling says. It appeared in the Official Gazette on 28 July, Expresso das Ilhas reported.
The EASE portal says nationals of a list of countries have needed a visa before arrival since 1 January 2026. The State Department still lists no visa requirement for US tourists.
A yellow fever certificate is required if you arrive from Senegal or another West African country, the State Department says.
Safety and Health
The State Department rates Cabo Verde Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions, in an advisory issued on 18 December 2025. Its only risk indicator is crime.
Praia carries a Level 2 note, Exercise Increased Caution, because of muggings and armed robbery. The department advises avoiding the hillside stairways between neighbourhoods, even by day.
Roads are often unlit, and the State Department calls driving at night dangerous. It also advises against buses and commuter vans.
Medical care is not free, hospitals usually want payment up front and most US health plans do not cover care abroad. The department strongly recommends extra cover for medical evacuation.
The US Embassy is at Rua Abilio Macedo 6 in Praia, on +238-260-8900. After hours, US citizens can call +238-991-3325.
Flights From the United States
Cabo Verde Airlines, the national carrier, flies between Providence, Rhode Island, and the islands of Santiago and Sal. Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport lists Praia and Sal as the airline’s markets.
Between 11 September and 16 October the airline runs one weekly flight, on Fridays, because of construction work at the Providence airport. It planned to restore two weekly flights from 19 October, Expresso das Ilhas reported in August.
For the winter season from late October, the airline planned flights on Tuesdays and Fridays. On that plan, the nearest flights to polling day would be Friday, 13 November, and Tuesday, 17 November.
TAP Air Portugal, Portugal’s flag carrier, sells flights from Boston to Praia, Sal and São Vicente. On 8 October its US website showed round-trip economy fares to Praia from US$690 for some late-November dates.
The islands of Brava and Santo Antão have no operational airports, the State Department notes. Reaching them means a ferry crossing from a neighbouring island.
Money and Costs
The currency is the Cape Verdean escudo. Conversions use open.er-api.com market data of 8 October, when one US dollar bought about 98.5 escudos.
The State Department lists 1,000,000 escudos (about US$10,200) as the most cash a traveller may bring in or take out. At the same rate, 10,000 escudos is about US$102.
Cape Verdean Americans and the Vote
Cape Verdean citizens abroad vote in person at embassies, consulates and other designated sites, the CNE says. The Electoral Code sets the same polling day in every constituency, barring exceptions written into law.
In the May legislative election, the Americas constituency, which includes the United States, had 14,647 registered voters. Only 6,114 voted, about 42%, against 46.5% nationwide, official CNE results show.
A CNE delegation met the consul in Boston, Octávio Gomes, in September. It discussed registration and polling sites in Fall River and Miami, proposed but not set up for the May vote.
The delegation also met community associations in Boston and Brockton. The CNE posts the US polling-place list as a document on its election website.
What It Means for You
No official travel warning is tied to the election, and the State Department advisory has not changed since December. Expect rallies and motorcades from 29 October to 13 November.
On Sunday, 15 November, skip the bar next to a school or other polling venue, because the 500-metre rule applies to everyone. If a runoff is called, the same rules return for Sunday, 29 November.
Registered Cape Verdean Americans should check their polling site on the CNE website before polling day. The CNE also names a delegate for the United States on its election website.
Anyone flying from Providence around the vote should confirm the winter timetable with Cabo Verde Airlines. Foreign residents should ask how the airport fee exemption confirmed in July applies to them.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, where people bet real money on outcomes, Neves traded at 78% to win at 8:00 a.m. ET on 8 October. Joana Rosa traded at about 12%.
The market had drawn about US$26,000 in total bets since August. Some names listed in it are not on the final ballot.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Is Not Known
Whether any candidate will clear 50% of valid votes on 15 November is not known. The exact US polling places and voting hours abroad are set out only in CNE documents.
The State Department page does not list the airport security fee, so whether 3,400 escudos is still charged is unconfirmed. Cabo Verde Airlines’ winter timetable was a plan announced in August and may change.
It is also not known whether any public offices will close on the days around the vote.
What Comes Next
Campaigning opens on Thursday, 29 October, and ends at midnight on Friday, 13 November. Polls open at 8 a.m. on Sunday, 15 November.
A runoff, if needed, follows on Sunday, 29 November, and the winner serves a five-year term. A runoff would not change the entry rules or the travel advisory.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Cabo Verde presidential election?
The first round is on Sunday, 15 November 2026, with polls open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. A runoff between the top two, if needed, is set for Sunday, 29 November.
Do US citizens need a visa for Cabo Verde?
No visa is needed for tourist stays of 30 days or less, according to the State Department. US travellers must also register on the EASE portal and pay the airport security fee.
Is it safe to visit Cabo Verde during the election?
The State Department rates Cabo Verde Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions, with a Level 2 note for crime in Praia. The advisory, issued on 18 December 2025, lists crime as its only risk indicator.
Sources: CNE, final candidate list (30 September 2026); CNE, six candidates admitted; CNE, Presidenciais 2026 site; CNE, FAQ; CNE, diaspora voters; CNE, United States page; CNE, US mission (8 September 2026); CNE, Boston and Brockton meetings; CNE, Electoral Code; CNE, official results; CNE, electoral calendar; CNE, Deliberation 01/2026, electoral calendar (Official Gazette, 3 August 2026); CNE, five candidates admitted (22 September 2026); CNE, ballot order (28 September 2026); Constitutional Court, Ruling 50/2026 on the airport fee (Official Gazette, 28 July 2026); Presidency of Cabo Verde; US State Department, Cabo Verde travel advisory; US State Department, Cabo Verde country information; EASE entry portal; Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport, airline information; Cabo Verde Airlines; TAP Air Portugal, Boston to Cabo Verde; Expresso das Ilhas, Providence schedule (18 August 2026); Expresso das Ilhas, candidates (20 September 2026); Expresso das Ilhas, airport fee ruling (28 July 2026); Forbes África Lusófona, election decree (31 July 2026); Forbes África Lusófona, court ruling (23 September 2026); Africanews (15 September 2026); open.er-api.com exchange rates (all accessed 8 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
Part of our ongoing coverage
Africa: The New Scramble — the great-power contest over the continent.