Presidential elections were held for the first time in

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe (; pt, São Tomé e Príncipe (); English: " Saint Thomas and Prince"), officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe ( pt, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe), is a Portuguese-speaking i ...

on 3 March 1991, as previously the President had been elected by the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

. Ultimately only one candidate,

Miguel Trovoada Miguel dos Anjos da Cunha Lisboa Trovoada (born December 27, 1936) was the prime minister from 1975 to 1979 and second president of São Tomé and Príncipe 1991 to 2001. On 16 July 2014, he was appointed the Special Representative of the United ...

, ran for office, and was elected unopposed. He was sworn in as the second

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of São Tomé and Príncipe on 3 April.

Candidates

Three candidates stated their intention to participate in the contest;

, a former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

running as an independent (with the support of both the PCD-GR and CODO), Monso dos Santos of the

Christian Democratic Front The Christian Democratic Front ( pt, Frente Democrática Cristã) 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. The party supported Fradiqu ...

(FDC) and

Guadalupe de Ceita João Guadalupe Viegas de Ceita (born 4 February 1929) is a Santomean writer and a doctor, one of the national heroes. He was one of co-founders and ideologist of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (MLSTP), a project for ...

, an independent candidate.

Manuel Pinto da Costa Manuel Pinto da Costa (born 5 August 1937) is a Santomean economist and politician who served as the first president of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1975 to 1991. He again served as president from 2011 to 2016. Life and career Educated in Eas ...

, President since independence in 1975, declared that he would not be contesting the election and that he would retire from politics. The MLSTP-PSD did not present an alternative candidate. In February, less than a month before the election, both Monso dos Santos and Guadalupe de Ceita withdrew from the election leaving Trovoada as the sole candidate.

Dieter Nohlen Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An expe ...

, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) ''Elections in Africa: A data handbook'', p748

Results

References

{{São Tomé and Príncipe elections Presidential elections in São Tomé and Príncipe

Sao Tome SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U. ...

1991 in São Tomé and Príncipe March 1991 events in Africa