Presidential elections were held in Cape Verde on 11 February 2001, with a second round on 25 February after no candidate achieved outright victory in the first round. The result was a victory for Pedro Pires of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde, who defeated Carlos Veiga of the Movement for Democracy by just twelve votes. Pires, a former Prime Minister, took office on 22 March 2001, replacing António Mascarenhas Monteiro, who stood down after completing two terms in office.