The National Resistance Front of São Tomé and Príncipe (FRNSTP) was a political party founded in 1981 by São Toméan exiles who opposed the

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

policies of the

single party A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a governance structure in which only a single political party controls the ruling system. In a one-party state, all opposition parties are either outlawed or en ...

Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...

(MLSTP) government, and sought its overthrow. Based in

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

under the leadership of

Carlos da Graça Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewher ...

, the movement was expelled from the country in 1986 as relations between Gabon and São Tomé improved. Carlos da Graça ceased to be a member and remained in Gabon, before returning to São Tomé and becoming

foreign minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

. The major part of the FRNSTP moved to

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, formed a coalition with the

Independent Democratic Union of São Tomé and Príncipe The Independent Democratic Union of São Tomé and Príncipe (UDISTP) was a political party formed by São Toméan exiles based in Portugal who opposed the socialist policies of the single party Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Prí ...

(UDISTP), and agreed to seek political changes by non-violent means. A small faction of the FRNSTP, led by Monso dos Santos, refused to give up the idea of armed struggle as a means of overthrowing the São Tomé government and moved to

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

, taking the name of

National Resistance Front of São Tomé and Príncipe-Renewal National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

(FRNSTP-R). A failed invasion to overthrow the government in 1988 led to the capture and sentencing of the organisation's membership. In 1990, members of the FRNSTP-R were pardoned and founded the

Christian Democratic Front The Christian Democratic Front () 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 Fradique de Menezes in the 30 July 2006 ...

References

Political parties established in 1981 Political parties in São Tomé and Príncipe {{SaoTomePrincipe-stub