São Tomé and Príncipe: 146,000 voters called to renew the 55 seats of the Assembly

Voters in São Tomé and Príncipe headed to the polls on Sunday, September 27, 2026, for a triple election—legislative, municipal, and regional—for which the count has begun and the first provisional results were expected starting Monday, September 28, according to allAfrica.

More than 146,000 voters were registered in this Portuguese-speaking archipelago in the Gulf of Guinea, one of the smallest states on the continent. They were tasked with electing the 55 deputies of the National Assembly, their local representatives, and the head of government for the autonomous region of Príncipe. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 5 p.m.

Seven parties, an incumbent power to defend

Seven political parties were in the running, four of which were represented in the outgoing Parliament. Among them are the Independent Democratic Action (ADI, center-right), currently in power, and the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (MLSTP), one of the country's oldest political organizations. The election day "proceeded calmly," reports allAfrica, with no major incidents reported in the archipelago.

A campaign without fervor, an abstention that raises questions

The election was held at the end of a campaign described as unenthusiastic. The clearest signal came from the presidential election on July 19, 2026, which was marked by an abstention rate of 59%. In a country of this size, where every vote carries significant weight in the distribution of the 55 seats, disaffection of this magnitude speaks volumes about the distance between the political class and a population waiting for concrete results.

Water, health, employment: the real agenda

The concerns expressed by voters relate to the most basic daily needs: access to drinking water, electricity supply, the quality of health infrastructure, and job prospects for young people. According to allAfrica, a quarter of the population lives in extreme poverty. These shortcomings fuel a continuous emigration of young people, which deprives the archipelago of a portion of its vital forces.

São Tomé and Príncipe illustrates a reality often forgotten in major narratives about Africa: the continent's small island states face the same challenges of economic sovereignty as their continental neighbors, with even tighter budgetary room for maneuver and an increased dependence on external funding.

The publication of the provisional results must now determine the composition of the new Assembly and, with it, the formation of the next government. Story Africa will follow the official announcement of the results.