Miguel dos Anjos da Cunha Lisboa Trovoada (born December 27, 1936) was the

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 ...

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 Nations Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary- ...

and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS). Prior to this, he was the executive secretary of the Gulf of Guinea Commission.

Background

Born in the city of São Tomé, Trovoada attended secondary school in

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordinat ...

before studying law at the University of Lisbon in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

. In 1960 he cofounded, with former classmate

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 Ea ...

, the Committee for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (CLSTP) - which was renamed the

Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

in 1972. Operating out of its headquarters in

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

, Trovoada served as the movement's foreign affairs director from 1961 to 1975 and was instrumental in gaining Organization of African Unity (OAU) recognition for the MLSTP in 1972. After the fall of the Estado Novo regime in Portugal due to the Carnation Revolution, Trovoada served as the São Tomé and Príncipe first Prime Minister (12 July 1975 - March 1979). However, relations between the President and Prime Minister soon deteriorated, culminating in 1979 when President da Costa abolished the post of Prime Minister. Several months later, Trovoada was charged with plotting against the government. After being arrested and detained for 21 months, Trovoada went into exile in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In May 1990, following the adoption of a democratic constitution, he returned to his country and campaigned for president. In 1991, Trovoada was elected President in the country's first multiparty

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

; he was re-elected in 1996. When he first ran for President, he was not a member of any political party, but by the end of his first term he had formed a new

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

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). His government was briefly overthrown in a '' coup d'etat'' from 15 August 1995 to 21 August 1995. President Trovoada's term ended on 3 September 2001 when

Fradique de Menezes Fradique Bandeira Melo de Menezes (born March 21, 1942) is a São Toméan politician who was the third president of São Tomé and Príncipe from 2001 to 2011. Early life Menezes was born on the then Portuguese colony of São Tomé in 1942, the ...

was sworn in as the new

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

. Trovoada took office as executive secretary of the Gulf of Guinea Commission on 21 January 2009."São Tomé president congratulates secretary of Gulf of Guinea Commission"
AngolaPress, 22 January 2009. Miguel Trovoada's son

Patrice Trovoada Patrice Émery Trovoada (born 18 March 1962) is a São Toméan politician who is the 15th prime minister of São Tomé and Príncipe since November 2022. He previously served as Prime Minister from February 2008 to June 2008, from August 2010 to ...

is also a politician and served as Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe in 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trovoada, Miguel Trovoada, Miguel Living people Heads of state of São Tomé and Príncipe Foreign Ministers of São Tomé and Príncipe Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party politicians Independent Democratic Action politicians People from São Tomé 20th-century São Tomé and Príncipe politicians 21st-century São Tomé and Príncipe politicians