Pedro Pires Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Pedro Pires
Pires in 2005

3rd President of Cape Verde
In office 22 March 2001 – 9 September 2011
Prime Minister	José Maria Neves
Preceded by	António Mascarenhas Monteiro
Succeeded by	Jorge Carlos Fonseca
Prime Minister of Cape Verde
In office 8 July 1975 – 4 April 1991
President	Aristides Pereira António Mascarenhas Monteiro
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Carlos Veiga

Personal details
Born	Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pires (1934-04-29) 29 April 1934 (age 91) Fogo, Portuguese Cape Verde
Political party	African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde
Spouse	Adélcia Barreto
Alma mater	University of Lisbon

Pedro Pires (born April 29, 1934) is a politician from Cape Verde. He was a very important leader for his country. He served as the first Prime Minister of Cape Verde from 1975 to 1991. Later, he became the President of Cape Verde from 2001 to 2011.

Early Life and Education
Political Career
- First Prime Minister of Cape Verde
- President of Cape Verde
Life After the Presidency
Personal Life
Awards and Honors
- National Awards
- Foreign Awards
See also

Early Life and Education

Pedro Pires was born on the island of Fogo in Cape Verde. His parents were Luís Rodrigues Pires and Maria Fidalga Lopes. As a young man, he went to high school in the city of Mindelo.

Later, he moved to Portugal to study at the University of Lisbon. In 1962, he left Portugal and traveled to several countries in Africa. He received training in places like Cuba and the Soviet Union to help fight for Cape Verde's independence.

Political Career

Pires was a member of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV). This political party worked to free Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau from Portuguese rule. He returned to Cape Verde in October 1974, just before the country became independent.

First Prime Minister of Cape Verde

Cape Verde became an independent country on July 5, 1975. Just three days later, Pedro Pires became its first prime minister. At the time, Cape Verde was a one-party state, which means only the PAICV was allowed to govern.

As prime minister, Pires was against apartheid (a system of racial segregation) in South Africa. He also believed that foreign countries should not interfere in African affairs.

In February 1990, the PAICV decided to allow other political parties to exist. This change led to the country's first multiparty elections in 1991. The PAICV lost these elections, and Pires's time as prime minister came to an end.

President of Cape Verde

After serving as prime minister, Pires remained active in politics. In 2000, he prepared to run for president.

In the presidential election of 2001, Pires ran against Carlos Veiga. It was a very close race, but Pires won by only 12 votes. He became president on March 22, 2001.

As president, he worked on building relationships with other countries. In 2005, he visited Brazil and met with its president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He also worked to get special status for Cape Verde with the European Union.

Pires ran for a second term in the 2006 presidential election. He won again, defeating Carlos Veiga once more. He served as president until 2011.

Life After the Presidency

In 2011, Pedro Pires won the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. This important award is given to African leaders who have shown great leadership. The prize recognized Pires for helping make Cape Verde a model of democracy and stability. The award included $5 million.