More than 123,000 voters choose deputies, mayors and the Principe government – The Observer

Today, nearly 123,000 voters in Sao Tome and Principe vote in legislative, municipal and regional elections, with diaspora voters electing, for the first time, two deputies for Europe and Africa.

Polls open at 7:00 am and close at 5:00 pm local time (another hour in Lisbon). On the two islands that make up the country, there will be 309 polling stations for 123,301 voters.

In total, today 11 parties and movements, including the coalition, are vying for 55 seats in the National Assembly in Sao Tome and Principe, but the dispute over the future leadership of the government is mainly between the Liberation Movement of Sao Tome and Principe/Social Democratic Party (MLSTP/PSD, in power) ), led by the current Prime Minister, Patrice Trovoada, and the Independent Democratic Action (ADI, opposition), led by former Prime Minister Patrice Trovwada.

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 Forces for Change (MDFM).

The Movement of Independent Citizens – also known as the Caué Movement, a region in the south of the country – of the brothers Antonio and “Nino” Monteiro, now working in alliance with the Party of National Unity (PUN), from the Autonomous Region of Principe, would like to increase the number of deputies , having made her first appearance in Parliament in 2018 with two elected representatives.

The PCD did not stand for this election, 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 the ADI Levi Nazari.

The Democratic Movement for Change/Liberal Union (MDFM/UL), now led by former pastor Miguel Gomez, and the UDD, along with Carlos Neves, advanced in isolation.

In the 2018 legislative elections, the ADI party was the party with the most votes with 25 deputies, followed by MSLTP/PSD with 23, the PCD/UDD/MDFM coalition, with five, and the Independent Citizens Movement with two elected members.

Other political formations competing in today’s elections are: Citizens Independent for the Development of Sao Tome and Principe (CID-São Tomé e Príncipe), United Movement for Broad Development (Muda); New party Social Democratic Movement/Green Party of Sao Tome and Principe (MSD-PVSTP) and Party of the Santomins (PTOS).

For the first time, 14,692 citizens residing in 10 countries in Europe and Africa elect one representative for each constituency. The remaining 53 deputies are chosen by the six provinces of the island of São Tomé and the Principe region.

The voters of Sao Tome must also choose the next mayors. In 2018, MLSTP invaded the rooms of Lembá, Caué, Água Grande, Cantagalo and Lobata, while ADI took the lead in Mé-Zóchi.

The Principe regional government also votes, with two movements: the Union for Change and Progress in Principe (UMPP), led by the current president, Felipe Nascimento, the Movimento Verde para o Desenvolvimento do Príncipe (MVDP) coalition and the MLSTP/PSD headed by Nestor Ombilina.

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 Judicial and Electoral Administrations for Portuguese-Speaking Countries (ROJAE-CPLP) and the Embassies of the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The budget of the National Election Commission for the conduct of these elections is about 1.3 million euros, with contributions from several countries, including Portugal, the European Union and the United Nations.

On Saturday, the President of the Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Carlos Vila Nova, appealed to the vote and asked Sao Tomean not to give in to doubt and not to “separate themselves from democracy”.