António Mascarenhas Monteiro

António Mascarenhas Monteiro (born February 16, 1944 in Santa Catarina, Cape Verde) was the President of Cape Verde from March 22 1991 to March 22 2001.

Presidency of Cape Verde

Affiliated with the Movement for Democracy, he was the first president elected in a multi-party election in the country, defeating Aristides Pereira in the February 1991 presidential election. ["Political Parties of the World" (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, pages 113–114.] He was re-elected without opposition in 1996, receiving 80% of the vote. After serving two five year terms, he stepped down in 2001; in the 2001 election, Movement for Democracy candidate Carlos Veiga, who had served as Prime Minister under Monteiro, was defeated by Pedro Pires of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV).

East Timor controversy

On 19 September 2006, it was announced that Monteiro would succeed Sukehiro Hasegawa as head of the United Nations mission in East Timor. [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20495322-2703,00.html] The appointment was criticised in East Timor, partly because Monteiro had a poor knowledge of English. [http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/east-timor-shock-as-new-un-chief-changes-his-mind/2006/09/28/1159337281192.html] It was reported that Timorese president Xanana Gusmão was among those who expressed their concern about the appointment. [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20495322-2703,00.html]

On 25 September, Monteiro announced that he had changed his mind and would not be accepting the position. He told journalists that "I told the deputy Secretary-General that I already knew that there were reservations about my name on the part of parties engaged in East Timor and that I was no longer interested in serving there." [http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=475654] He explained that "the functions of a representative of the UN Secretary-General in East Timor are very broad and must be exercised with the goodwill of all parties involved." [http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/timor-un-mission-head-leaves-before-he-arrives/2006/09/28/1159337281684.html] Therefore, "it is better to stand down now than to create problems later on, especially in view of the complexity of the situation in East Timor." [http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/timor-un-mission-head-leaves-before-he-arrives/2006/09/28/1159337281684.html]

Memberships and Awards

Monteiro is a Member of the Global Leadership Foundation, an organization which works to promote good governance around the world. [http://www.g-l-f.org/pagebuilder.asp?id=239]

References