Presidential election in Sao Tome and Principe: residents called to the polls
Taxi rank in the city of Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe © Flickr / Maria Cartas
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
We vote, this Sunday, July 18, in Sao Tome and Principe, a small African archipelago in the Gulf of Guinea, near the equator.
Santomeans are called to the polls to elect their new president.
A first round without illusion, against the backdrop of a pandemic and marked by the external debt.
Nineteen candidates are on the starting line, but not the incumbent, Evaristo Carvalho, who is not running again.
There are three times as many candidates as there were five years ago.
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Already in the running, several members of the presidential party, the Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe - Social Democratic Party (MLSTP-PSD) including Guilherme Posser Da Costa, one of the main favorites, who finally wears the colors of the ruling party.
Other prominent personalities participating in the race are Carlos Villa Nova, the opposition candidate of Independent Democratic Action (ADI) and Delfim Das Neves, the current president of the National Assembly.
All denounce corruption and “
banho
”, a practice endemic in Sao-Tomé which consists of buying votes during elections.
The outgoing president, Evaristo Carvalho even touched a word on it, Monday, during his speech on the occasion of the Independence Day where he had urged the Santomeans to "
remain free
".
Despite the embarrassment of the choice, many voters will vote without illusion ... This small archipelago, dependent on tourism, suffers the full brunt of the consequences of Covid-19 which has pushed hotels to close and increased unemployment.
Another challenge is that of the State which is highly indebted to Angola and Equatorial Guinea and, what is more, the amounts of these debts are not declining.
So many priorities awaiting the new president who will have to deal with Prime Minister Jorge Bom Jesus, head of government.
In the semi-presidential regime of São Tomé and Príncipe, it is the latter who really holds power.
Read also: End of the electoral campaign in Sao Tome and Principe: corruption denounced at all levels
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Sao Tome and Principe