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Sao Tome Page |
Welcome to ElectionInfo.com's pages on Sao Tome
Official Name: Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
Capital: São Tomé
Area: 960 square kilometres (371 square miles)
Major cities (Population): São Tomé 50,000 (1990 estimate)
Population: 133,000 (1995 estimate)
Population growth rate: 2.6 per cent (1995 estimate)
Type of government: Republic
Independence: 12 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Constitution: Approved by a national referendum on 10 September 1990
Voting Rights: Universal at age 18
Government
Under the 1982 constitution, the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe was the country’s sole legal political party. A new constitution approved by referendum in 1990 authorized free multi-party elections for the president and legislature.
Recent History
A coup d'état spawned by military leaders on 15 August 1995 lasted only a week before international pressure compelled coup leaders to return the government to civilian hands. The United States and the European Union (EU) hastened the return to order by threatening to cut off aid to the developing country. Adding to the demand, Angola also threatened to sever the islands’ only source of oil. Angolan Foreign Minister Venancio de Moura brokered the settlement, which called for amnesty for all coup leaders and included a written statement from the rebels accepting the return of the elected government. After reaching the agreement, the agitators released President Miguel Trovoada from military barracks where he was being held, and reinstated Prime Minister Carlos Graca.
Graca said he was willing to form a coalition government with coup leaders Lieutenant Manuel Quintas de Almeida and Lieutenant Justino Lima, and with their hand-picked leader, President of Parliament Fernando Pires. The agreement ending the coup leaves Trovoada as chief of the armed forces, but it is unclear whether the government will change as a result of the coup.
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