Key facts
- São Tomé and Príncipe is holding a presidential election on Sunday.
- Incumbent Carlos Vila Nova is seeking a second term as an independent candidate.
- Vila Nova split with the ADI party after dismissing former Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada.
- Key issues for voters include corruption, inflation, and youth unemployment.
- A second round of voting will occur if no candidate secures over 50% of the vote.
Voters in São Tomé and Príncipe are heading to the polls for a presidential election on Sunday, with incumbent Carlos Vila Nova seeking a new five-year term. Vila Nova, who won the last election in 2021 with the backing of the Independent Democratic Action (ADI) party, is now running as an independent after dismissing former Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada last year, leading to a split with the ADI.
His main challenger is Nito Abreu, who has pledged to focus on job creation for youth and stem emigration from the small, cocoa-producing island nation. São Tomé and Príncipe, a former Portuguese colony off the western coast of Africa, has a history of peaceful elections since 1990. However, in 2022, the government announced it had thwarted a coup attempt, the first in nearly two decades.
There are 142,298 eligible voters, and preliminary results are expected late Sunday or Monday. A second round will be held if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote. Legislative elections are scheduled for September. The country was once considered a potential oil producer, but the sector has not yielded major finds.