Libreville – Sao Tome and Principe’s centre-right opposition has won an absolute majority in the national assembly, the country’s constitutional court has announced.
The Independent Democratic Action (ADI) party bagged 30 of the 55 seats up for grabs in the September 25 elections, beating a fragmented centre-left coalition, according to figures announced late on Monday.
The electoral commission declared last week that the ADI had won most votes, but confirmation of the outcome fell to the paramount court, which is required to allocate the number of seats.
The court released this number on Monday evening, and was quoted by the government news agency.
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A former Portuguese archipelago in the Gulf of Guinea, the nation of 215 000 people is deeply poor and depends on international aid, but is also praised for its political stability and parliamentary democracy.
The ADI is one of two major parties that have vied to run the country since independence in 1975, along with the Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party (MLSTP-PSD).
The ADI’s triumph should see ex-prime minister Patrice Trovoada return to the top job for a third time.
His party won 36 549 votes against 25 531 for the MLSTP-PSD, which had governed with a tiny majority. The abstention rate was 34.33 percent.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@crimejog
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