At Stake in this Election:        

• 55 members of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe 

Government Structure: 

• Chief of State: President Carlos VILA NOVA 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Jorge BOM JESUS 

• Assembly: A unicameral National Assembly with 55 members 

Electoral System: 

• The President is elected by direct universal suffrage, in which they must receive an outright majority. They are elected to a five-year term, with a limit of two consecutive terms. 

• The Prime Minister is appointed by the President. 

• The 55 members of the National Assembly are elected by closed list proportional representation in seven multi-member constituencies. They are elected to a four-year term. 

Main Parties in this Election:  

• Independent Democratic Action / Acção Democrática Independente 

• Leader: Patrice TROVOADA 

• Seats won in last election: 25 

• Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe – Social Democratic Party / Movimento de Libertação de São Tomé e Príncipe – Partido Social Democrata 

• Leader: Jorge BOM JESUS 

• Seats won in last election: 23 

• Democratic Convergence Party-Reflection Group / Partido de Convergência Democrática-Grupo de Reflexão  

• Leader: Leonel Mário D'ALVA 

• Seats won in last election: 5 

• Movement of Independent Citizens of São Tomé and Príncipe / Movimento Cidadãos Independentes de São Tomé e Príncipe 

• Leader: António MONTEIRO 

• Seats won in last election: 2 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 217,164 (2022 est.)¹ 

• Registered Voters: 97,274 (2018) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 105,718 (2022 est.)² 

• Is São Tomé and Príncipe a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (31 Oct 1995)³ 

• Has São Tomé and Príncipe ratified CEDAW: Yes (03 Jun 2003)⁴ 

• Gender Quota: Yes, at least 30% of candidates must be female.⁵ 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 13 out of 55 (23.6%)⁶ 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: Rank 138 at 0.618⁷ 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A 

Disability Data: 

• Is São Tomé and Príncipe a signatory to CRPD: No 

• Has São Tomé and Príncipe ratified CRPD: Yes (Accession) (05 Nov 2015)⁸ 

• Population with a disability: 29,101 (2022 est.)⁹ 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in São Tomé and Príncipe: No 

1. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/sao-tome-and-principe/#people-and-society

2. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/sao-tome-and-principe/#people-and-society

3. https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/Treaty.aspx?Treaty=CEDAW&Lang=en

4. https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/Treaty.aspx?Treaty=CEDAW&Lang=en

5. https://data.ipu.org/content/sao-tome-and-principe?chamber_id=13521

6. https://data.ipu.org/women-ranking?month=6&year=2022

7. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/STP 

8. https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/Treaty.aspx?Treaty=CEDAW&Lang=en

9. http://electionaccess.org/en/resources/countries/?q=sao#tab