Building the Cape Verdean state

After independence, the new state organised public administration, education, healthcare and inter-island relations with limited resources. The PAIGC, followed by the PAICV from 1981, governed within a one-party system.

Political opening accelerated at the end of the 1980s. A 1990 constitutional revision ended the single-party monopoly. The first pluralist parliamentary elections, held on 13 January 1991, were won by the Movement for Democracy (MpD), leading to a peaceful transfer of power.

The 1992 Constitution consolidated pluralism, fundamental rights and the democratic organisation of government. This transition became a defining stage in the institutional development of contemporary Cabo Verde.