Ulisses no longer governs or leads the party

The signs are all there. Ulisses Correia e Silva no longer even answers questions from journalists when the topic is the resignation of the leadership of the MpD Parliamentary Group, he orders the questions to be asked to those who resigned.

What do you mean?! But isn't Ulisses the leader? Isn't he supposed to give answers about the crisis that the resignations have created in the government party?

Party sails in sight

The problem is that the Prime Minister is still the president of the MpD, but he no longer leads anything. The party is sailing by sight, without a compass, without political tactics and without strategic sense, it is sailing in the wake of events and has completely lost its ability to take the initiative. It is every man for himself, a circumstance that highlights the imminent shipwreck.

The still leader of the MpD and still Prime Minister, emerged very weakened from last year's internal elections, where he faced an opponent (Orlando Dias) outside the system and on the fringes of the apparatus.

Even so, faced with the party and government machines, with a colossal disparity of resources and means and with a widespread vote dump, the rebel deputy achieved almost 10% in the internal elections. Imagine what it would have been like without fraudulent methods.

Against the will of the militants

This year, the movements for the local elections began, with Ulisses imposing his choices against everyone and everything, nominating several candidates who go against the will of the activists. The result: the lack of motivation among activists has never been so great in a local election.

At this moment, Ulisses and the MpD leadership are trying to reduce the collateral damage of an election in which almost all analysts agree: the fan party runs a serious risk of losing its leadership in the local authorities.

Things are not easy for the MpD and they are even worse for Ulisses Correia e Silva. And the specter of a defeat in the local elections is keeping Ulisses and the MpD leadership awake at night.

Candidates for Ulysses' succession conspire in the shadows

The fact is that, in the shadows (and often in the open) there are already pawns positioning themselves for the succession, should things go really badly in the local elections. This is the case of Olavo Correia, who is betting everything, including resources from the Ministry of Finance, to promote himself; and of Paulo Veiga, whose resignation seems to be part of his strategy to assert himself as an alternative to Ulisses, although he has emerged from the situation somewhat scorched, due to political ineptitude and companies that do not add value.

On one side, Olavo, interpreter of neoliberal private interests and the business interests of whom he has always been an agent, even against the national interest; on the other, Veiga (who is, politically, very naive), circumstantially aligned with the most extremist sectors of the MpD, of an extreme right that has been occupying important positions within the party.

Olavo Correia and Paulo Veiga are already preparing themselves, little by little, to, at the right moment, abjure Ulisses and pretend that they were not his accomplices in the disaster of governance.

Ulysses is master of ceremonies

As Prime Minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva no longer leads anything, limiting himself to being a sort of master of ceremonies at the consecutive inaugurations he has been promoting throughout the country, giving a little help to local MpD candidates, at the expense of public funds.

The still prime minister no longer has the shame of making himself look ridiculous in front of public opinion, as was the case with his trip yesterday to São Nicolau, an island abandoned by his government, to now promise what he has not done in eight years, cynically guaranteeing, for the umpteenth time: “the government is committed to supporting São Nicolau”…

The truth is that the government of Ulisses Correia e Silva is more worn out than ever – precisely because it has not responded to the country's main needs – as evidenced by data from an opinion poll by Afrosondagem, putting the MpD's governance in 2026 at high risk, even with accommodating oppositions and fragile leadership.

The signal seems to be clear, regardless of who comes, even without knowing an alternative government, Cape Verdean men and women seem to be tired of Ulisses and the MpD.

The direction,

Santiago Magazine