cape verde saw merchandise imports rise 9% in 2025, central bank data shows, widening the gap between imports and exports. The import bill reached 110 billion escudos in 2025, with Portugal supplying nearly half of the total. Political clashes over justice and voter registration have intensified as May 17 elections approach (ET).
Cape Verde imports and trade picture
Central bank figures for 2025 show the total merchandise import bill at 110 billion escudos. Consumer goods remain the largest category, accounting for nearly half of the value of all merchandise imports and growing 5% year on year; processed food alone represents one fifth of total merchandise and grew 3% in the same period. Intermediate goods — largely construction materials and business inputs — increased 15%, while capital goods, including machinery and transport equipment, rose sharply by 36%. By contrast, the fuel bill fell nearly 10% in 2025 amid a broader global downward trend in oil prices, a cycle flagged as vulnerable to disruption by the current Middle East crisis.
Trade concentration is pronounced: 67% of imports originate in the eurozone and Portugal remained the main supplier, responsible for 48% of imports — a value of 52. 5 billion escudos, up 10% from 2024. On exports, merchandise revenue grew 18%, driven mainly by processed fish destined for Spain and reaching 9. 3 billion escudos, less than one tenth of import value. The BCV data for 2025 does not yet include the annual value of services exports, which encompass tourism.
Political fallout and reactions
On the campaign front, Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva — also president of the Movement for Democracy (MpD) — has framed the coming vote as a test of institutional stability. He told party members that “in a country like Cape Verde, no movement or leader can be allowed to put democracy at risk, ” and accused the main opposition of “conditioning the action of justice. ” Correia e Silva warned that actions aimed at specific legal cases risk undermining public confidence in institutions and international credibility.
Opposition leader Francisco Carvalho — mayor of Praia, PAICV president and candidate for prime minister — has defended his position, saying “Justice is pursuing a Cape Verdean citizen, Francisco Carvalho, in an attempt to prevent him from standing as a candidate [for prime minister], which is a political right. ” The Attorney General, Luís Landim, has publicly refuted claims of politicisation of the prosecutions in January (ET). The National Elections Commission (CNE) has announced an investigation into delays in diaspora voter registration amid complaints from the PAICV; provisional figures point to approximately 56, 560 overseas voters across three foreign constituencies, representing around 14% of the total.
Voter registration and what’s next
Ulisses Correia e Silva has also pushed for automatic voter registration, arguing the existing system is unsatisfactory and “Registration, under the conditions we have in the electoral code, always creates dissatisfaction. ” He said the proposal for “unofficial registration” — automatic use of national identity card data — has been advanced in parliament but has not reached the required qualified majority of two thirds to change the law. Provisional registration figures collected until September show around 403, 000 registered voters, a modest increase from the last legislative vote, with final tallies still pending.
Looking ahead, trade and politics will move in parallel: the central bank numbers for 2025 and the heavy import reliance on Portugal and the eurozone will keep economic vulnerability high, while political disputes over justice and registration are likely to define campaign narratives in the run-up to the May 17 vote (ET). Observers say the next developments to watch are final voter rolls, any amendments to electoral law, and whether ongoing investigations produce new legal actions that further sharpen political division in cape verde.
