Carlos Veiga

Carlos Alberto de Carvalho Veiga Wahnon (born 21 October 1949 in Mindelo ) was 1991-2000 Prime Minister of Cape Verde.

Early years

Veiga was born on the island of São Vicente. After attending school in Praia on Santiago Island, he studied law in Lisbon and made his PhD in 1971. From 1972 to 1974 he was managing clerk in Angola, which also belonged to Portugal. In 1975, he returned to his home, which became independent this year. There he worked as a prosecutor. Problems with the former single party Partido Africano da Independencia de Cabo Verde ( PAICV ) led him to leave the civil service and to practice as a lawyer. He was elected to Parliament in 1985 and 1988 and in 1990 founded the opposition party MPD.

Politician

After the introduction of democracy won his party on 13 January 1991, the elections against the previously reigning PAICV with 56 of 79 seats. On April 4, 1991, he became Prime Minister. During his reign he moved the date a socialist government, Cape Verde towards a market economy. In 1995 he was re-elected. In September 1998, he survived the emergency landing of an aircraft during a storm with minor injuries. He resigned on 29 July 2000 in order to apply in 2001 for the presidency.

In the presidential election, he defeated his predecessor as Prime Minister Pedro Pires in the second round on February 25, 2001 17 votes behind. Veiga filed ten complaints against the election results, his victorious rival two. A short time later Veiga accepted his defeat. In the 2006 elections Veiga defeated again Pedro Pires.