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Sao Tome and Principe Government

What is the capital of Sao Tome and Principe?

Country Name Sao Tome and Principe
Full Country Name Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
Local - Long Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe
Local - Short Sao Tome e Principe
Etymology- history of name Sao Tome was named after Saint THOMAS the Apostle by the Portuguese who discovered the island on 21 December 1470 (or 1471), the saint's feast day; Principe is a shortening of the original Portuguese name of "Ilha do Principe" (Isle of the Prince) referring to the Prince of Portugal to whom duties on the island's sugar crop were paid
Government Type semi-presidential republic
Capital Name Sao Tome
Capital - geographic coordinate 0 20 N, 6 44 E
Capital Time Difference UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Independence 12 July 1975 (from Portugal)
National Holiday Independence Day, 12 July (1975)
Constitution approved 5 November 1975; revised several times, last in 2006

Sao Tome and Principe Capital City Map

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Sao Tome and Principe Government and Politics

Who is the president of Sao Tome and Principe?

Executive Branch: chief of state: President Evaristo CARVALHO (since 3 September 2016)

head of government: Prime Minister Jorge Bom JESUS (since 3 December 2018)

cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president

elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 July 2016 and 7 August 2016 (next to be held in July 2021); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president

election results: Evaristo CARVALHO elected president; percent of vote - Evaristo CARVALHO (ADI) 49.8%, Manuel Pinto DA COSTA (independent) 24.8%, Maria DAS NEVES (MLSTP-PSD) 24.1%; note - first round results for CARVALHO were revised downward from just over 50%, prompting the 7 August runoff; however, on 1 August 2016 DA COSTA withdrew from the runoff, citing voting irregularities, and CARVALHO was declared the winner
Citizenship Criteria: citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Sao Tome and Principe

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Legal System: mixed legal system of civil law base on the Portuguese model and customary law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Legislative Branch: description: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed party-list proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)

elections: last held on 7 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2022)

election results: percent of vote by party - ADI 41.8%, MLSTP/PSD 40.3%, PCD-GR 9.5%, MCISTP 2.1%, other 6.3%; seats by party - ADI 25, MLSTP-PSD 23, PCD-MDFM-UDD 5, MCISTP 2; composition - men 45, women 10, percent of women 18.2%
Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal Justica (consists of 5 judges); Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional (consists of 5 judges, 3 of whom are from the Supreme Court)

judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the National Assembly; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the president of the republic and elected by the National Assembly for 5-year terms

subordinate courts: Court of First Instance; Audit Court
Regions or States: 2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome
Political Parties and Leaders: Democratic Movement of Forces for Change or MDFM [Fradigue Bandeira Melo DE MENEZES]

Independent Democratic Action or ADI [Patrice TROVOADA]

Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Aurelio MARTINS]

Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Leonel Mario D'ALVA]

other small parties
International Law Organization Participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
International Organization Participation: ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CD, CEMAC, CPLP, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic Representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Filomeno Azevedo Agostinho das NEVES (since 3 December 2013)

chancery: 675 Third Avenue, Suite 1807, New York, NY 10017

telephone: [1] (212) 651-8116

FAX: [1] (212) 651-8117
Diplomatic Representation from US: the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the US Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands
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