Neves, who won in 2021 with about 52% of the vote, has pledged to build cross-party support to improve housing, healthcare and education, create jobs and raise wages.
Six candidates are competing in Cape Verde's presidential election, a race that could produce the country's first woman president. A runoff is scheduled for Nov. 29 if no candidate receives more than half the votes.
Women have held senior cabinet posts, but Cape Verde has never had a female prime minister or president. The contest puts that record in play even as the office itself remains limited.
In Cape Verde's parliamentary system, the prime minister directs government policy and holds most executive authority. The president's role is largely symbolic, although the directly elected head of state can veto legislation.
Rosário Luz, a Cape Verde-based writer, said party loyalties mattered more than Rosa's gender.
Luz said women carry much of the financial responsibility for their households in Cape Verde, but government policies have failed to address that burden.
Nearly 77,000 Cape Verdeans abroad are registered to vote, almost a fifth of the total electorate.
If the first round produces no majority, voters will return on Nov. 29 to decide the presidency.