Joaquim Rafael Branco (born 7 September 1953) is a São Toméan

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who was the 16th

prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...

from 2008 to 2010. He is the President of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party (MLSTP/PSD)."Líder da oposição em São Tomé Príncipe designado primeiro-ministro"
Panapress, June 12, 2008 .

Life and career

Branco was

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

from 1995 to 1996. He served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

from 2000 to 2001. He was Minister of Public Works in July 2003, when he was detained by the military during a briefly successful coup d'etat led by Major

Fernando Pereira Fernando Pereira (10 May 1950 – 10 July 1985) was a freelance Portuguese-Dutch photographer, who drowned when French intelligence (DGSE) detonated a bomb and sank the ''Rainbow Warrior'', owned by the environmental organisation Greenpeace on ...

. After Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada was defeated in a May 2008 vote of no confidence proposed by the MLSTP/PSD, which was then in opposition, President Fradique de Menezes asked the MLSTP/PSD to form a government in June 2008, and it chose Branco to become the next Prime Minister. Trovoada's

Independent Democratic Action The Independent Democratic Action ( pt, Acção Democrática Independente) is a political party in São Tomé and Príncipe. It was established in 1994 by the then president Miguel Trovoada and is a politically centrist party. It took part in ...

(ADI) party denounced Menezes' designation of the MLSTP/PSD to form a government as unconstitutional."Partido de PM destituído contra nomeação de novo Governo são-tomense"
Panapress, June 16, 2008 .

References

, - 1953 births Finance ministers of São Tomé and Príncipe Foreign Ministers of São Tomé and Príncipe Government ministers of São Tomé and Príncipe Living people Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party politicians Prime Ministers of São Tomé and Príncipe 20th-century São Tomé and Príncipe politicians 21st-century São Tomé and Príncipe politicians {{SaoTomePrincipe-politician-stub