São Tomé and Príncipe Parliamentary election 2026 (Assembleia Nacional) — Results
Election day: September 27, 2026
- MLSTP/PSD: 37.45%, 24 seats
- ADI: 36.50%, 23 seats
- Movimento Basta: 9.29%, 2 seats
- MCI–PUN: 8.48%, 6 seats
- Nossa Terra: 3.67%, 0 seats
- PCD: 2.91%, 0 seats
- MDFM: 1.70%, 0 seats
Turnout: 37.26%
Parties and coalitions admitted
- ADI — Governing party; won 30 of the 55 seats in 2022, an absolute majority
- MLSTP/PSD — Main opposition, 18 seats in 2022; backed Vila Nova's re-election in July 2026
- MCI–PS/PUN — Won 5 seats in 2022; the Constitutional Court cut its lists to three constituencies
- Movimento Basta — Entered the Assembly in 2022 with 2 seats; in opposition since
- PCD — No seats in the outgoing Assembly
- MDFM — No seats in the outgoing Assembly
- Partido Nossa Terra — Newly registered party, contesting its first legislative election
The Constitutional Court rejected the MCI–PS/PUN coalition's lists in most constituencies over falsified candidate signatures, leaving it able to stand only in Água Grande, Caué and the Autonomous Region of Príncipe. Four further parties — MIE-STP, SIM, Força Santomense and Partido Força do Povo — say they were kept off the ballot; the last two were declared dissolved by Constitutional Court ruling 8/2026 of 29 January. Local council elections and the election of Príncipe's Regional Assembly are held the same day.
Government and coalitions
Before the vote
The ADI governed from 2022, when it won 30 of the 55 seats. The prime minister is Américo Ramos (ADI), appointed in January 2025 by President Carlos Vila Nova, who was re-elected on 19 July 2026 with MLSTP/PSD support.
After the vote
No party won a majority. On the definitive count declared on 6 October, the MLSTP/PSD took 24 of the 55 seats, the ADI 23, the MCI–PS/PUN coalition 6 and Movimento Basta 2; 28 make a majority, so the coalition's six seats are decisive. President Vila Nova says he will invite the winning party and appoint a government only once its parliamentary support is guaranteed; until then Américo Ramos stays on. As of 7 October no party had announced an agreement.
About this election
How the vote works
The National Assembly's 55 members serve four years. Fifty-three are elected by closed-list proportional representation (d'Hondt) in seven constituencies — six on São Tomé and one for Príncipe — and two represent São Toméans abroad. The party or coalition that commands 28 seats forms the government, under a prime minister appointed by the President.
Compiled and reviewed from official results by ElectioMap. See our data methodology.
In numbers
- 0.95 points separated MLSTP/PSD from ADI — 471 votes.
- MLSTP/PSD converted 37.45% of the vote into 24 of 55 seats (43.64%), 6.19 points more than its vote share.
- The top two shared 73.95% of the vote between them, and 4 lists cleared 5%.
Calculated from the official figures on this page and from the other elections of this type in our archive.
Understanding this election
- How We Check an Election Figure — the checks every number passes before publication
- How Live Election Data Is Collected and Verified — from ballot box to published figure
- Why Official Results Sometimes Take Weeks — the stages between the count and the legal result