Elections in São Tomé and Príncipe

The Comissão Eleitoral Nacional (CEN) organizes and supervises elections in São Tomé and Príncipe. It manages voter registration, coordinates district, Príncipe and diaspora election commissions, issues operational rules, monitors campaigns, accredits observers and publishes provisional results. The Tribunal Constitucional (TC) validates the final count, proclaims the result and decides election challenges within its jurisdiction. Presidential elections use direct voting. A candidate needs more than half of the valid votes; blank and invalid ballots do not count toward this majority. If no candidate reaches that threshold, a second round takes place 21 days later. Presidential candidates must be São-tomense by origin, have a São-tomense parent, be over 35, hold no second nationality and have lived permanently in the country for at least three years. A nomination requires support from 500 to 1,000 registered voters and must reach the TC no later than 45 days before the election. The Assembleia Nacional has 55 seats and a four-year mandate. Legislative elections use closed party lists, so voters cast one vote for a list rather than selecting individual candidates. Seats are allocated proportionally using the método da média de Hondt. Constituencies include the national districts, the Região Autónoma do Príncipe, and diaspora constituencies for Africa and Europe. Each national constituency has four basic seats, each diaspora constituency has one, and the remaining national seats are distributed in proportion to the number of registered voters. Parties, coalitions and citizen groups may present lists. Voting is free and normally takes place in person at the designated polling station. The voter must show the required identification and appear in the electoral register, mark the ballot, fold it and use the prescribed indelible ink procedure. A damaged ballot can be replaced. A visibly ill or disabled voter may receive assistance from a voter of their choice, who must preserve ballot secrecy. Postal voting is limited to military personnel, security forces, health, maritime and airport workers, and CEN members assigned to election duties; the application normally goes to the competent election commission between ten and five days before voting with proof of service or employment. Electoral registration is national, mandatory, official and generally permanent, with annual updating. In an election year, registration must normally be completed at least six months before voting. Diaspora registration requires a significant community and coordination with diplomatic or consular representation. A person with multiple nationalities can vote when they have permanent residence in the relevant constituency and are registered there. Local and regional elections cover six district assemblies on São Tomé and the regional assembly of Príncipe. District assemblies elect the respective Câmara Distrital, while the regional assembly is directly elected. Local mandates last three years, and local and regional contests follow special laws with proportional list rules. The 2022 cycle produced 68 district mandates and nine regional mandates. Polling-station staff count ballots immediately after closing and record the result in a report. District, regional and diaspora tabulation begins at 09:00 on the following day. The CEN publishes provisional results, while the TC conducts the general final count and validation. The first sitting of the Assembleia Nacional takes place within 30 days after the final result is announced. If the Assembly is dissolved, a new election must take place within 90 days. The President appoints the Primeiro-Ministro after consulting parliamentary parties and considering the election result, and the Assembleia Nacional confirms the government programme. In the 2026 cycle, the presidential election was held on 19 July 2026, and the TC declared Carlos Vila Nova elected on 28 July 2026. Legislative, local and regional elections were scheduled for 27 September 2026. In the 2022 legislative election, turnout was 65.4 percent, with 80,132 voters among 122,596 registered voters. Election observation reported generally orderly and transparent voting and counting, while noting delays in district-level result processing and later concerns about declining participation and broader inclusion.