Pedro Pires
| Pedro Pires | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rd President of Cape Verde | |
|
In office 22 March 2001 – 9 September 2011 | |
| Prime Minister | José Maria Neves |
| Preceded by | António Mascarenhas Monteiro |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Carlos Fonseca |
| Prime Minister of Cape Verde | |
|
In office 8 July 1975 – 4 April 1991 | |
| President |
Aristides Pereira António Mascarenhas Monteiro |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Veiga |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pires 29 April 1934 Fogo, Overseas Province of Cabo Verde, Portugal |
| Political party | African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde |
| Spouse(s) | Adélcia Barreto |
| Alma mater | University of Lisbon |
Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pires (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpedɾu vɨˈɾonɐ ʁuˈdɾiɡɨʃ ˈpiɾɨʃ]; born 29 April 1934) was the President of Cape Verde from March 2001 to September 2011. Before becoming President, he was Prime Minister from 1975 to 1991.
Life and career
Pires was born in Fogo, Cape Verde. After the ruling African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) decided to institute multiparty democracy in February 1990, Pires replaced President Aristides Pereira as General Secretary of PAICV in August 1990. The PAICV lost the multiparty parliamentary and presidential elections held in early 1991 and was left in opposition. At a party congress in August 1993, Pires was replaced as General Secretary by Aristides Lima and was instead elected as President of PAICV.[1] As a candidate for the party presidency at PAICV's September 1997 congress, he faced José Maria Neves[2] and prevailed with 68% of the vote.[3] He stepped down as PAICV President in 2000 in preparation for a presidential bid in the next year's election[4] and he was succeeded by Neves.[1] He officially announced his candidacy for the Presidency of Cape Verde on September 5, 2000.[5]
Pires was the PAICV candidate in the February 2001 presidential election, defeating former Prime Minister Carlos Veiga of the Movement for Democracy (MpD) in the second round by just 12 votes.[6][7][8] Pires took office on March 22; the MpD boycotted his inauguration, saying that the election was marred by a "non-transparent process".[9] As President, Pires appointed Neves as Prime Minister.[1] He ran for a second term in the presidential election held on 12 February 2006 and again prevailed over Veiga, this time winning in the first round by a 51%-49% margin.[8]
In May 2008, he said that he favored a cautious, long-term approach to the formation of a United States of Africa, preferring that regional integration precede a continent-wide union. He attended the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-IV) at this time.[10]
Pires was awarded the 2011 Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. The prize was awarded in recognition of Pires role in making Cape Verde a "model of democracy, stability and increased prosperity". The prize includes a monetary component of $5m.[11]
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pedro Pires. |
- 1 2 3 Political Parties of the World (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, page 113.
- ↑ "Cape Verde: Opposition party congress opens", Radio Renascenca, Lisbon (nl.newsbank.com), September 19, 1997.
- ↑ "Cape Verde: Former PM elected leader of main opposition PAICV party", Radio Renascenca, Lisbon (nl.newsbank.com), September 22, 1997.
- ↑ "Cape Verde: Town council leader to run for PAIGC party leadership", RDP Africa web site (nl.newsbank.com), May 29, 2000.
- ↑ "Cape Verde: Former prime minister Pires to run for president in 2001 poll", RDP Africa web site (nl.newsbank.com), September 6, 2000.
- ↑ "New president for Cape Verde", BBC News, March 6, 2001.
- ↑ "Cape Verde: National Election Commission declares Pedro Pires as new president", Televisao Publica de Angola (nl.newsbank.com), March 5, 2001.
- 1 2 Elections in Cape Verde, African Elections Database.
- ↑ "Cape Verde: Main opposition party boycotts presidential inauguration", PANA news agency (nl.newsbank.com), March 23, 2001.
- ↑ "Presidente cabo-verdiano prudente sobre Estados Unidos de África", Panapress, May 28, 2008 (Portuguese).
- ↑ "Cape Verde ex-leader Pedro Pires wins Mo Ibrahim prize". BBC News. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | Prime Minister of Cape Verde 1975–1991 |
Succeeded by Carlos Veiga |
| Preceded by António Mascarenhas Monteiro |
President of Cape Verde 2001–2011 |
Succeeded by Jorge Carlos Fonseca |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by Festus Mogae |
Prize for Achievement in African Leadership 2011 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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