Assembleia Nacional

The Assembleia Nacional is the national parliament of Cape Verde and serves as the country's sole legislative chamber. It is responsible for drafting, debating and enacting laws that govern the civil, political and economic life of the archipelago. In addition to lawmaking, the assembly approves the national budget, ratifies international treaties and oversees the actions of the executive branch to ensure accountability. Members of the Assembleia Nacional are elected by universal suffrage and represent the various constituencies across the islands. The institution convenes regular and extraordinary sessions in its headquarters located in Cape Verde, where it conducts plenary meetings, committee work and public hearings. Through these functions it provides a forum for citizen participation and the formulation of national policy. The assembly also has the authority to consider and adopt constitutional amendments when required.

The Assembleia Nacional distinguishes itself by its constitutional authority as the supreme legislative body in a unitary republic, operating as a unicameral parliament without an upper chamber. Its internal information security team works closely with the National Office for Information Security (NOSI) and the judicial police to protect parliamentary networks and respond to cyber incidents, as demonstrated by the ransomware event of 26 February 2024 that was contained to a single network segment thanks to an isolated design. This incident highlighted the assembly’s capacity to detect, isolate and restore critical services such as the payroll server while preventing any spread to governmental or external systems. The assembly’s members, known as deputies, serve fixed terms established by the constitution and elect a president from among their ranks to preside over sessions. Structurally, the Assembleia Nacional is a state institution directly accountable to the electorate and the Constitution, with no parent organisation or subsidiary entities. Its notable competencies include legislative drafting, fiscal oversight and a growing emphasis on cyber‑resilience to safeguard democratic processes. Together, these attributes enable the Assembleia Nacional to fulfil its role as the central institution of Cape Verde’s democratic governance.