São Tomé and Príncipe Holds Presidential Vote for 142,000 Voters Amid Constitutional Crisis
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 19
São Tomé and Príncipe Holds Presidential Vote for 142,000 Voters Amid Constitutional Crisis
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 19
Summary
About 142,000 registered voters, including roughly 15% in the diaspora, are casting ballots in São Tomé and Príncipe’s tense presidential election; a runoff follows if no candidate clears 50%.
President Carlos Vila Nova is seeking a second term as an independent after breaking with the ruling ADI, a split that followed his dismissal of Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada and helped trigger the lingering constitutional crisis.
Five candidates are on the ballot, including ADI-backed Nito D’Abreu, while former prime minister Jorge Bom Jesus remains listed after missing the withdrawal deadline and businessman Domingos Monteiro was disqualified on eligibility grounds.
Corruption, high inflation, youth unemployment, fuel shortages and blackouts have dominated the campaign, testing the incumbent in a country long regarded as one of Africa’s more stable democracies.
EU, G7+ and Portuguese-speaking bloc observers are monitoring the vote in the Gulf of Guinea island state, a Western security partner with offshore oil deposits and strategic maritime importance.