The approximately 123,000 voters of São Tomé and Príncipe vote today in the legislative, municipal and regional elections, and the diaspora voters elect, for the first time, two deputies for Europe and Africa.
The polls open at 7:00 am and close at 5:00 pm local time (one more hour in Lisbon). In the two islands that make up the country there will be 309 polling stations for the 123,301 voters.
In total, 11 parties and movements, including a coalition, are competing today for the 55 seats in the National Assembly of São Tomé and Príncipe, but the dispute for the next head of government is essentially between the Liberation Movement of São Tomé and Príncipe/ Social Democratic Party (MLSTP/PSD, in power), led by the current prime minister, Patrice Trovoada, and Independent Democratic Action (ADI, opposition), led by former prime minister Patrice Trovoada.
Jorge Bom Jesus heads the current government in coalition with three other forces: the Democratic Convergence Party (PCD), the Union for Democracy and Development (UDD) and the Democratic Movement Force for Change (MDFM).
The Independent Citizen Movement —also known as the Caué movement, a district in the south of the country—, of the brothers António and ‘Nino’ Monteiro, is now running in alliance with the National Unity Party (PUN), from the Autonomous Region of Príncipe , and wants to increase the number of deputies, after having debuted in parliament in 2018 with two elected representatives.
The PCD did not advance to these elections, being part of the Basta movement, which includes figures such as the president of the National Assembly, Delfim Neves (PCD), the former Foreign Minister of Patrice Trovoada, Salvador dos Ramos, and the former Secretary General of ADI, Levy Nazaré.
The Movement Force for Democratic Change/Liberal Union (MDFM/UL), now led by former priest Miguel Gomes, and the UDD, with Carlos Neves, advanced in isolation.
In the 2018 legislative elections, ADI was the party with the most votes, with 25 deputies, followed by the MSLTP/PSD, with 23, the PCD/UDD/MDFM coalition, with five, and the Independent Citizen Movement, with two elected representatives.
Other political parties competing in today’s elections are: Independent Citizens for the Development of São Tomé and Príncipe (CID-São Tomé e Príncipe), United Movement for Broad Development (Muda); New Party; Social Democratic Movement/Green Party of São Tomé and Príncipe (MSD-PVSTP) and Party of All Santomenses (PTOS).
For the first time, 14,692 citizens residing in 10 European and African countries elect a deputy for each constituency. The remaining 53 deputies are elected by the six districts of the island of São Tomé and the Príncipe region.
The voters of São Tomé also have to choose the next presidents of the municipalities. In 2018, the MLSTP conquered the chambers of Lembá, Caué, Água Grande, Cantagalo and Lobata, while ADI took the lead in Mé-Zóchi.
The Regional Government of Príncipe also votes, with two movements: the Union for Change and Progress of Príncipe (UMPP), led by the current president, Filipe Nascimento, and the Movimento Verde para o Desenvolvimento do Príncipe (MVDP) and MLSTP coalition. /PSD, headed by Néstor Umbelina.
The elections will be accompanied by more than 100 international observers, including 42 from the European Union, 21 from the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), 25 from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), but also from the United States United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Network of Jurisdictional Bodies and Electoral Administration of Portuguese Speaking Countries (ROJAE-CPLP) and the embassies of the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
The budget of the National Electoral Commission for holding these elections is around 1.3 million euros, with contributions from various countries, including Portugal, the European Union and the United Nations.
On Saturday, the president of the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, Carlos Vila Nova, appealed for the vote and asked the people of São Tomé not to give in to skepticism and not to “divorce themselves from democracy.”
Source: Observadora
