National Assembly approves State Budget for 2026
On Friday, the National Assembly approved the State Budget for 2026 (OE'2026) as a whole, with 37 votes in favor from the MpD and 27 votes against from the opposition, 24 from the PAICV and three from UCID MPs.
In the statement that preceded the vote, PAICV MP João do Carmo stressed that the government's proposal does not meet the country's needs, especially at a time of significant economic and social challenges.
João do Carmo stressed that, throughout the debate, the PAICV had identified structural weaknesses in the budget proposal, namely the lack of practical measures to respond to the real problems of families, companies and public services.
According to the parliamentarian, the SB'2026 should reflect a greater capacity for execution and strategic vision, something which, in his opinion, "is not the case".
The representative of the main opposition party also stressed that the PAICV will continue to defend a governance model that puts people at the center of public policies.
With this, João do Carmo reaffirmed the party's commitment to monitoring government action and proposing alternatives that, according to him, promote more social justice, sustainable growth and financial balance.
The deputy of the Independent and Democratic Cape Verdean Union (UCID), João Luiz, for his part, said that this budget should more robustly reflect the real needs of the country, especially at a time of great social and economic challenges.
According to João Santos Luis, the document presented by the government does not fully meet the expectations of the population, which is facing structural difficulties that require more effective solutions.
The MP stressed that UCID hoped to see greater investment in priority areas, as he considered that the State Budget for 2026 should be a strategic instrument to correct imbalances and prepare Cape Verde for a new political stage.
"At the end of this discussion, we reaffirm our sense of responsibility towards the country," said João Luiz, stressing that UCID will continue to defend a more balanced, transparent budget geared towards the well-being of Cape Verdeans.
For his part, the parliamentary leader of the Movement for Democracy (MpD), Celso Ribeiro, said in his speech that the party entered the debate on the State Budget for 2026 with the expectation of seeing the PAICV present structured and duly substantiated proposals.
He said that despite having publicly announced a set of ideas, the largest opposition party "limited itself to bringing single proposals, without substantiation".
Celso Ribeiro stressed that the debate demonstrated the lack of consistency in the initiatives presented by the PAICV. For the MP, the opposition failed to show credible alternatives to the budget under discussion.
The MP stressed that the government maintains a clear and sustained line of action, while the opposition, he said, failed to present measures capable of responding to the country's needs.
For the MP, the approved document combines budgetary prudence with social vision, offering concrete benefits to families, such as tax cuts, support for home ownership and subsidies for transport and health.
According to Celso Ribeiro, voting against this budget would be "voting against Cape Verde" and would jeopardize the advances in territorial cohesion, youth employment and social protection that have already been achieved.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Olavo Correia, also argued that the State Budget 2026 consolidates Cape Verde's economic growth trajectory and reinforces policies of social justice and inclusion.
"We don't want a state that supports, we want a state that creates opportunities, that gives incentives, that signals so that citizens can take care of their lives with dignity, with autonomy and with independence," said Olavo Correia, highlighting the focus on measures that benefit young and less young people in terms of access to housing, with interest subsidies of 50 to 55 percent (%).
He also stressed that this budget guarantees universal access to education, from pre-school to higher education, with more than 40% of students benefiting from state scholarships.
According to Olavo Correia, the document also provides for increases in social pensions, support for the less privileged and measures to reduce energy and water costs, reaffirming the government's priority of maintaining macroeconomic stability and sustainable growth.
The MPs unanimously approved the National Elections Commission's private budget for 2026.
The National Assembly's private budget was also unanimously approved by the same 64 deputies present.
Inforpress
