Law nº 77/VII/2010, which officially makes cities out of all municipal seats in Cape Verde, goes into effect today, September 2. As a result, the country gets 18 new cities, in addition to Porto Novo, Mindelo, Praia, Ribeira Grande de Santiago, Assomada and São Filipe, which already enjoyed city status.

Two of the now 24 cities in Cape Verde are not municipal seats – Povoação (also known as Ribeira Grande), on the island of Santo Antão, and Santa Maria, on the island of Sal – but were exceptionally granted the new status as a result of their historical or economic importance – in the latter case, as a result of the tourist industry. Santiago is the island that finds itself with the most new cities, given the fact that it has more municipalities than any other island, while São Vicente, which has only one municipality and is home to Mindelo, which has been a city for over a century, gained none.

Law nº 77/VII/2010 establishes as criteria for elevating the category of municipal seats to that of city, including possessing relevant services such as health facilities, civil protection services, a post office, telecommunications, a pharmacy, a fire department, educational establishments, a police station, hotel establishments, libraries, urban and suburban transportation systems and others.

But the reality of the country is not yet fully in line with these criteria, as not even all of the municipal seats, especially when considering those of the municipalities created in 2005, such as Tarafal de São Nicolau, São Salvador do Mundo and São Jorge dos Órgãos, have had time to create all of the services cities normally offer citizens.

As was the case during its discussion in parliament, the law continues to divide the political class, especially municipal governments. For those belonging to or close to opposition party MpD, it is a campaign measure with little or no practical consequences in the life of citizens.

For those representing the governing PAICV, however, the law, even if administrative or political, responds to a number of long-standing desires. This is the case of Santa Cruz, whose mayor Orlando Sanches has been working to make municipal seat Pedra Badejo a city for the past ten years.