Parliamentary elections were held in São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about apart and about , respectively, off...

 on 2 October 1994. The result was a victory for the opposition Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe - Social Democratic Party

Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe

The Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party or Movimento de Libertação de São Tomé e Príncipe/Partido Social Democrata, in Portuguese, is one of the main political parties in São Tomé and Príncipe...

, which won 27 of the 55 seats in the National Assembly

National Assembly of São Tomé and Príncipe

The unicameral National Assembly of São Tomé and Príncipe is the country's legislative body.The current National Assembly, formed following elections held on 26 March 2006, has a total of 55 members elected in 7 multi-member constituencies using the party-list proportional representation system...

. Voter turnout was only 52.1%.

Background

In early 1994 relations between the government and the presidency again began to deteriorate. In April Trovoada publicly dissociated himself from government policy. In June political tension increased when the PCD-GR accused Trovoada of systematic obstruction of the government's programme. The same month opposition parties petitioned the president to dismiss the government and to appoint foreign auditors to investigate the management of public funds under its term of office.

On 2 July 1994 Trovoada dismissed the government of Prime Minister Norberto d'Alva Costa Alegre

Norberto d'Alva Costa Alegre

Norberto José d'Alva Costa Alegre is a former prime minister of São Tomé and Príncipe. He held the post from 16 May 1992 to 2 July 1994. He is a member of the Democratic Convergence Party-Reflection Group and is married to former foreign minister Alda Bandeira.-References:...

 citing 'institutional conflict' as the justification for the decision. Moreover, the president accused the ruling party of ignoring presidential veto

Veto

A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...

es and of attempting to replace the semi-presidential system

Semi-presidential system

The semi-presidential system is a system of government in which a president and a prime minister are both active participants in the day-to-day administration of the state...

 with a parliamentary regime without executive power

Executive Power

Executive Power is Vince Flynn's fifth novel, and the fourth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American agent that works for the CIA as an operative for a covert counter terrorism unit called the "Orion Team."-Plot summary:...

s for the head of state

Head of State

A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...

. On 4 July Trovoada appointed Evaristo do Espirito Santo de Carvalho (the minister of defence and security in the outgoing administration) as prime minister. The PCD-GR, which refused to participate in the new government, subsequently expelled Carvalho from the party. An interim administration, comprising eight ministers, took office on 9 July. On the following day, in an attempt to resolve the political crisis, Trovoada dissolved the national assembly and announced that a legislative election would be held on 2 October.

Results

6

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/-
Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe - Social Democratic Party Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe The Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party or Movimento de Libertação de São Tomé e Príncipe/Partido Social Democrata, in Portuguese, is one of the main political parties in São Tomé and Príncipe...	10,782	42.53	27
Independent Democratic Action Independent Democratic Action The Independent Democratic Action is a political party in São Tomé and Príncipe. It was established in 1991 and is a politically centrist party....	6,660	26.27	14	New
Democratic Convergence Party-Reflection Group	6,235	24.59	14
Democratic Coalition of the Opposition	1,152	4.5	0
People's Alliance People's Alliance People's Alliance may refer to:*The People's Alliance , Belgian political party which split in 2001 into the Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie and Spirit...	342	|1.4	0	New
Christian Democratic Front Christian Democratic Front The Christian Democratic Front is a small political party in São Tomé and Príncipe. It failed to win any seats in the National Assembly following elections held on 26 March 2006....	181	0.7	0	0
Invalid/blank votes	3,748
Total	29,100	100	55	0
Source: Nohlen et al