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History:
The Portuguese discovered Cape Verde, initially
uninhabited, in the 15th century and they saw no evidence of prior
settlement. By the late 15 century, Sao Tiago was the first island to
start inhabitation and later came to be used as a supply point for the
slaves who were traded to Brazil and the Went Indies. The island was
quite difficult to have developed what with its inhospitable landscape
and its unsuitable climate. Also, the attentions of the rival colonial
powers were also responsible for making the lives of the Portuguese
colonial administrators difficult. Despite the successful establishment
of sugar plantations by slaves from Africa and cotton cloth weaving,
the people in these islands lead a life of extreme poverty.
The year 1951 saw Cape Verde redefined from being
known as a colony to an Overseas Province. The 1960s and early
1970s saw the island being used as a garrison by the Portuguese army.
Most of the upcoming independence movement’s members went off to
Guinea-Bissau, another Portuguese colony on the mainland, and formed
the Partido
Africano da Independência do Guiné e Cabo Verde
(PAIGC) – under the famous revolutionary leader – Amilcar Cabral. After
the 1974 Portugal revolution, Cape Verde became independent in 1975
shortly following the independence of Guinea-Bissau, who had close
political associations with Cape Verde.
The PAIGC went on to control
the political activities of both countries and discussions were held
concerning complete unification. Following the 1980 coup in
Guinea-Bissau, this proposal was shelved after which the branch of
PAIGC at Cape Verde was renamed the Partido Africano da
Independência de Cabo Verde (PAICV). The two
countries then went on to follow their own separate development paths.
The 1990s saw the Government following the continental trend and in
February 1991, saw the conduction of elections in the country. The
PAICV was opposed by the
Movimento para Democracia (MPD) and the latter went
on to win both the legislature and the Presidential elections, which
saw the defeat of the serving Aristides Pereira by MPD’s candidate –
ex-supreme court judge Antonio Mascarenhas Monteiro.
The PAICV, however, did not lose heart. Early 2001
saw the PAICV winning both the presidency and national assembly
elections defeating the MPDs who had held onto both these in 1995.
PAICV’s Pedro Rodrigues Pires defeated MPD’s Carlos de Carvalho in the
presidential race by a margin of just 17 votes. Cape Verde followed a
firmly non-aligned foreign policy – which is reflected in its having
been chosen as a mediator in the settlement of a variety of
international disputes, including Angola. In 1998, it was host to
various talks conducted to come to a conclusion in the conflict of
Guinea-Bissau. Cape Verde still continues to keep close relations with
Portugal, Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking African countries in the
PALOP group (consisting of Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Cape
Verde).
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