São Tomé and Príncipe legislative election, 2002
Encyclopedia
On 3 March 2002, São Tomé and Príncipe
held its fourth National Assembly
election
since the introduction of multi-party politics in 1990. Voter turnout was 66.3 percent.
issued a decree
dissolving the Parliament
and calling elections on 3 March 2002. The decree was issued after the President and representatives of political parties signed an agreement aimed at establishing a more representative executive
, formed of at least two or three of the parties receiving the most votes. This agreement, valid for two terms, was intended to resolve the political crisis which broke out in September 2001, when the opposition
Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe
walked out of Parliament.
The main political groups in contention were the alliance between the President de Menezes' Force for Change Democratic Movement
and the Democratic Convergence Party
; the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (MLSTP), which ruled the nation as a single-party Marxist state from independence
until 1991 and the Uê Kédadji, a coalition of five parties.
The campaign
focused on promises to use projected oil
revenue to modernise agriculture
, improve education
and attract foreign investment
. The run-up to the elections was clouded by allegations that some parties had distributed money to voters. The MLSTP leader claimed that the other political forces were spending large amounts of foreign funds for campaigning, accusations which were denied by these parties.
About 60 per cent of the country's nearly 61,000 voters cast ballots, and international observers declared the elections free and fair.
The elections failed to produce a clear winner, as the opposition MLSTP took 24 of the 55 seats in Parliament, just one more than President de Menezes' Force for Change Democratic Movement. The eight remaining seats went to a coalition led by the Independent Democratic Action
of former President Miguel Trovoada
.
On 27 March 2002, President Fradique de Menezes ended three weeks of political deadlock by asking the country's envoy to Portugal
, Gabriel Costa, to form a government
. The latter formed a government with representatives from the three main political coalitions.
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2275.htm
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...
held its fourth 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...
election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
since the introduction of multi-party politics in 1990. Voter turnout was 66.3 percent.
Background and outcome of elections
On 8 December 2001, President Fradique de MenezesFradique de Menezes
Fradique Bandeira Melo de Menezes was the President of São Tomé and Príncipe from 2003 to 2011.-Early life:Menezes was born on the then Portuguese colony of São Tomé in 1942, the son of a Portuguese man and a local woman. He attended high school in Portugal...
issued a decree
Decree
A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...
dissolving the Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
and calling elections on 3 March 2002. The decree was issued after the President and representatives of political parties signed an agreement aimed at establishing a more representative executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
, formed of at least two or three of the parties receiving the most votes. This agreement, valid for two terms, was intended to resolve the political crisis which broke out in September 2001, when the opposition
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe
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...
walked out of Parliament.
The main political groups in contention were the alliance between the President de Menezes' Force for Change Democratic Movement
Force for Change Democratic Movement-Liberal Party
The Force for Change Democratic Movement-Liberal Party is a political party in São Tomé and Príncipe. It was formed after the 29 July 2001 presidential elections by supporters of the elected president Fradique de Menezes...
and the Democratic Convergence Party
Democratic Convergence Party-Reflection Group
The Democratic Convergence Party-Reflection Group is a political party in São Tomé and Príncipe. It was founded on 4 November 1990 by MLSTP dissidents, independents, and young professionals. Leonel Mário d'Alva is the current party leader....
; the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (MLSTP), which ruled the nation as a single-party Marxist state from independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
until 1991 and the Uê Kédadji, a coalition of five parties.
The campaign
Political campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendums are decided...
focused on promises to use projected oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
revenue to modernise agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, improve education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and attract foreign investment
Investment
Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
. The run-up to the elections was clouded by allegations that some parties had distributed money to voters. The MLSTP leader claimed that the other political forces were spending large amounts of foreign funds for campaigning, accusations which were denied by these parties.
About 60 per cent of the country's nearly 61,000 voters cast ballots, and international observers declared the elections free and fair.
The elections failed to produce a clear winner, as the opposition MLSTP took 24 of the 55 seats in Parliament, just one more than President de Menezes' Force for Change Democratic Movement. The eight remaining seats went to a coalition led by the 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....
of former President Miguel Trovoada
Miguel Trovoada
Miguel dos Anjos da Cunha Lisboa Trovoada was Prime Minister and President of São Tomé and Príncipe. Currently he is the Executive Secretary of the Gulf of Guinea Commission.-Background:...
.
On 27 March 2002, President Fradique de Menezes ended three weeks of political deadlock by asking the country's envoy to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Gabriel Costa, to form a government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
. The latter formed a government with representatives from the three main political coalitions.
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2275.htm