São Tomé and Príncipe heads to polls in tense presidential election | Sao Tome and Principe
Voters in São Tomé and Príncipe head to the polls for a presidential election on Sunday, as one of Africa’s least populous countries tries to polish its democratic credentials.
About 142,000 people are registered to vote in elections in this small African state, with about 15% of them living in the diaspora, according to the National Electoral Commission.
The island nation off the west coast of Africa has built a solid reputation for peaceful and competitive elections since gaining independence from Portugal in 1975. But this year’s vote took place amid a tense political atmosphere and ongoing constitutional crisis.
President Carlos Vila Nova is running for a second term as an independent rather than as a candidate from the ruling Accão Democrática Independente (ADI), which he represented when elected in 2021.
The tension between Vila Nova and his former party began in January last year when he dismissed Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada. Trovoada’s replacement, former justice minister Ilza Amado Vaz, resigned just three days after current owner Américo Ramos took office.
On Sunday, Vila Nova will compete with four candidates, including ADI parliamentary leader Nito D’Abreu. Another former prime minister, Jorge Bom Jesus, tried to withdraw his candidacy as an independent but remained on the ballot because he missed the filing deadline.
The main opposition party, the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe, is now part of a broad coalition supporting the incumbent president, despite being staunch opponents of ADI. Meanwhile, an ADI group led by Ramos supports D’Abreu. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the votes, the election will go to a second round.
Businessman Domingos Monteiro, nicknamed “Nino” and who has been president of the São Toméan Football Federation since 2015, was disqualified after the constitutional court ruled that he did not meet the eligibility requirements. Monteiro was born on the island, but was never naturalized after his parents moved from the Cape Verde Islands where they were born.
“The constitutional court violates the principle of equal rights… It is time for the grandchildren born in São Tomé and Príncipe to say no to discrimination, xenophobia and the culture of oppression,” Monteiro said.
Voters’ priorities include government corruption, high inflation, severe youth unemployment, chronic fuel shortages and frequent power outages. Vila Nova’s opponents hope this will keep him from a second term and propel them to the presidency.
D’Abreu said corruption in São Tomé and Príncipe “is the greatest disaster the country has experienced in this half-century of independence.”[ofindependence”D’Abreusaidatthe[ofindependence”D’Abreusaidatthepresidential debate on Tuesday.
The country is seen as a reliable Western ally for security and maritime trade in the Gulf of Guinea, one of the world’s biggest maritime piracy hotspots. There are also offshore oil fields that contribute significantly to its economy. Observer delegations from the European Union, G7+ and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries are on the ground to monitor the ballot boxes.
