José Maria Neves

Infobox Prime Minister
name = José Maria Pereira Neves


order = Prime Minister of Cape Verde
president = António Mascarenhas Monteiro
Pedro Pires
deputy =
term_start = 01 February 2001
term_end =
predecessor = Gualberto do Rosário
successor =
birth_date = birth date and age|1960|03|28|df=y
birth_place = Santa Catarina, Santiago Island, Cape Verde
religion =
spouse =
party = PAICV

José Maria Pereira Neves (born March 28, 1960) is the Prime Minister of Cape Verde. He has been Prime Minister since 1 February 2001 and is a member of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV).

Part of his superior education was in the Getúlio Vargas Foundation in Brazil.

As a candidate for the party leadership at PAICV's September 1997 congress, he faced Pedro Pires; ["Cape Verde: Opposition party congress opens", Radio Renascenca, Lisbon (nl.newsbank.com), September 19, 1997.] Pires defeated Neves in the leadership election, winning 68% of the vote. ["Cape Verde: Former PM elected leader of main opposition PAICV party", Radio Renascenca, Lisbon (nl.newsbank.com), September 22, 1997.] In May 2000, Neves—then serving as President of the Santa Catarina Town Council—announced that he would seek the PAICV presidency again at the June 2000 party congress; Pires was leaving the PAICV presidency in anticipation of his candidacy in the next year's national presidential election. ["Cape Verde: Town council leader to run for PAIGC party leadership", RDP Africa web site (nl.newsbank.com), May 29, 2000.]

While acknowledging the harmful effects of slavery and colonialism on Africa, Neves has said that African leaders are primarily responsible for the continent's problems today, and that they "must assume their responsibility to develop a clear strategy for Africa's future that takes advantage of all of its human capabilities and natural resources." [ [http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2047882,00.html "Africa 'stop blaming colonialism'"] , AFP (News24.com), December 22, 2006.] Neves is a supporter of European Union membership for Cape Verde.

From August 12 to August 16, 2005, he visited eight state capitals of Brazil including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Goiânia, Recife, Maceió, João Pessoa, Natal and Fortaleza. He also received an audience from Brazilian President Lula da Silva on August 22.

A new government under Neves was announced on June 27 2008, with six ministers joining the government and four ministers leaving it. Three of the new ministers were women, making it the first government in Cape Verde with a female majority (eight out of 15 portfolios). [ [http://www.panapress.com/freenewspor.asp?code=por015329&dte=27/06/2008 "Profunda remodelação governamental em Cabo Verde"] , Panapress, June 27, 2008 pt icon.]

References

External links

* [http://www.bu.edu/aparc/news/NevesBio.htm Biography, "Boston University", October 9, 2003]

ee also

*Heads of Government of Cape Verde