Cabo Verde Warns Employers of Jail Risk for Denying Workers Time to Vote

Cabo Verde's election commission has warned public- and private-sector employers that refusing workers sufficient time to vote in the 15 November 2026 presidential election can be a criminal offence punishable by up to six months in prison or a fine, under the country's existing electoral law.

In a notice published on 2 November, the Comissão Nacional de Eleições (CNE) pointed employers to Deliberation No. 45, approved on 23 October. The commission said Article 194 of the Electoral Code requires businesses and public services operating on election day to release employees for enough time to travel to their polling station and cast a ballot. Article 304 sets the penalty for failing to provide that time, the CNE said. The warning is a reminder of existing obligations, not an announcement that a new criminal law has been passed.

The state news agency Inforpress reported the warning on 3 November, describing the requirement as applying to both public and private employers. It also confirmed that the commission's decision covers the 15 November vote and, if no candidate wins outright, a possible second round on 29 November.

The CNE has not said in the notice that any employer has been prosecuted, or that a worker has already been prevented from voting. No specific business is accused of violating the rule. The commission instead appealed for cooperation so professional duties do not obstruct voting rights.

The presidential election is scheduled for 15 November, according to the CNE's official election calendar. The announcement matters to workers in essential services and other workplaces that remain open on polling day: their employers must arrange enough time for them to vote. The law's reference to sufficient time does not, in this notice, specify a uniform number of hours for every employee.

The next questions are whether employers receive operational guidance before polling day, whether any complaints arise and how the election authorities respond. TFNOS will distinguish any later allegation of obstruction from an independently established enforcement decision.