Ivone Cardoso's choice to hit Danilson Andrade

According to various sources, Francisco Tavares had a decisive influence on Ivone Cardoso's choice to lead the list, as he made dozens of calls to the national leaders, ignoring the statutes that give them the power to submit proposals. However, behind this decision may lie a greater political objective: to pave the way for the entry of Danilson Andrade, a former priest, into Parliament.

In the Cape Verdean electoral system, it is common for list leaders, once elected as MPs, to suspend or resign their mandate for professional, political or personal reasons, thus allowing the second candidate on the list to enter the National Assembly. This practice has happened several times in Cape Verdean politics and is perfectly legal within the functioning of the electoral system.

It is precisely this scenario that, according to people linked to the party, could be at the root of this choice. By placing Ivone Cardoso as number one on the list and Danilson Andrade in second place, Francisco Tavares may be creating the conditions for Danilson to take over the deputy's seat after the elections.

Danilson Andrade is considered by many to be close to Francisco Tavares, having worked with him and being seen as one of his trusted men in local politics. For some analysts, Danilson's possible entry into parliament would represent the continuation of Francisco Tavares' political influence at a local level, even if he is not a candidate or a member of parliament himself.

This situation has generated some discomfort and comment within the MpD itself in Brava, where there are those who argue that the party should bet on figures chosen directly by the grassroots and not through internal strategies or personal alignments.

The choice of Ivone Cardoso, who is currently President of the Brava Municipal Assembly and Head of the Post Office, is not consensual within the party. There are activists who believe that there are other MpD cadres with a longer political career or greater exposure to the population who could have been chosen.

For these activists, this decision reinforces the idea that the party in Brava is increasingly controlled by a narrow group linked to the former mayor, which could cause internal problems in the future and increase divisions within the local structure.

On the other hand, there are also those who argue that this is just a normal political strategy and that the most important thing is to ensure the election of deputies to defend the interests of the island of Brava in Parliament.

Regardless of the real intentions behind Ivone Cardoso's choice, what is certain is that the decision is already shaping the political debate on the island of Brava. If the strategy really is to get Danilson Andrade into Parliament, then this could be seen as a well-calculated political move by Francisco Tavares.

The next legislative elections and the events after the deputies take office will clarify whether this political reading corresponds to reality or whether everything is just political speculation behind the scenes at the MpD on the island of Brava.

MS