About this election
São Tomé and Príncipe is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on 27 September 2026 to renew its 55-seat National Assembly, alongside regional and local contests. The legislative vote follows the presidential election held earlier in the year, making 2026 a decisive year for one of Africa's smallest and most stable multiparty democracies — a two-island nation in the Gulf of Guinea with an electorate of roughly 120,000. The election comes against a backdrop of unusual institutional turbulence, after President Carlos Vila Nova dismissed the government of Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada in January 2025, an act Trovoada and his Independent Democratic Action (ADI) party contested as unconstitutional.
The National Assembly's 55 members serve four-year terms. Fifty-three are elected by closed-list proportional representation in seven multi-member constituencies based on the country's districts (six on the island of São Tomé and one for the Autonomous Region of Príncipe), and two further seats represent São Toméans living abroad, in Europe and Africa. Seats within each constituency are allocated by the highest-average (d'Hondt) method. The party or coalition that commands a majority — 28 of the 55 seats — forms the government under a prime minister, in a semi-presidential system where the president is head of state and the prime minister leads the executive and is responsible to the Assembly. This division of powers makes periods of "cohabitation" between a president and a prime minister from rival camps a recurring feature of São Toméan politics.
Politics is dominated by two long-established parties. The Independent Democratic Action (ADI), associated with Patrice Trovoada, has been the leading force in recent elections; the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe – Social Democratic Party (MLSTP/PSD), led by former prime minister Jorge Bom Jesus, is the historic party of independence and the ADI's main rival. Smaller parties and coalitions — including the MCI–PCD–UDD grouping and the newer Basta citizens' movement — compete for the remaining seats and can hold the balance of power. The 2025 dismissal of the Trovoada government, and the appointment of Américo Ramos as prime minister without ADI's endorsement, has sharpened the rivalry and made the 2026 legislative election an unusually consequential test of which bloc will control the Assembly.
In the September 2022 election the ADI won an outright majority, returning Patrice Trovoada as prime minister for a fourth time, while the MLSTP/PSD remained the principal opposition.
| Party (2022) | Vote % | Seats |
| Independent Democratic Action (ADI) | 46.88 | 30 |
| MLSTP/PSD | 32.73 | 18 |
| Basta Movement | 8.79 | 2 |
| MCI–PS/PUN coalition | 6.47 | 5 |
Turnout was about 65.36%, with some 80,000 ballots cast from around 122,600 registered voters. International observers judged the election peaceful and free.
The decisive questions are whether the ADI can renew its majority after the upheaval of the 2025 government dismissal, whether the MLSTP/PSD can capitalise on the crisis to return to power, and how the smaller parties and the Basta movement fare. The outcome will determine whether the next prime minister governs with or against President Vila Nova, and therefore whether São Tomé enters another period of cohabitation. Stability of governance, management of the islands' modest oil and tourism prospects, the high cost of living, and public services are the dominant campaign themes.
São Tomé island, home to the great majority of the population and the capital, dominates the seat distribution, but the Autonomous Region of Príncipe — which has its own regional government and elects its own assembly — carries symbolic weight, and the two overseas constituencies for the diaspora can matter in a closely divided Assembly. ElectioMap will map results across the seven constituencies as official figures arrive.
São Tomé and Príncipe is an upper-middle-income microstate by some measures but remains heavily dependent on foreign aid, with an economy built on cocoa exports, a growing but fragile tourism sector, fisheries, and long-held hopes of offshore oil that have yet to translate into significant production. Public debate centres on the cost of living, electricity reliability, the management of donor support from partners including Portugal and the European Union, and the islands' exposure to external shocks in food and fuel prices. The country has a strong record of peaceful, competitive elections and alternations of power since multiparty democracy was restored in 1991, which is why it is often cited as a democratic bright spot in the region — making the orderly resolution of the 2025 governmental crisis at the ballot box an important test. The European Union has fielded an election observation mission for the 2026 cycle, underlining the international interest in a credible vote.
This page will display the live national vote share and seat allocation for the 55-member National Assembly, with a constituency map, as results are released by the National Electoral Commission (CEN). Until counting begins it serves as a reference on the islands' institutions and recent political history.
Parliamentary elections to renew the 55-seat National Assembly are scheduled for 27 September 2026, held alongside regional and local contests and following the presidential election earlier in the year.
By closed-list proportional representation: 53 of the 55 seats are filled in seven district constituencies (six on São Tomé island and one for the Autonomous Region of Príncipe), with two further seats for citizens abroad. A majority requires 28 seats, and the largest bloc forms the government under a prime minister.
In January 2025 President Carlos Vila Nova dismissed the government of Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada (ADI), who called the move unconstitutional, and appointed Américo Ramos as prime minister. The 2026 vote will decide which bloc controls the Assembly and whether the country enters a period of cohabitation.
The Independent Democratic Action (ADI), associated with Patrice Trovoada, and the historic MLSTP/PSD led by Jorge Bom Jesus are the two dominant parties, with smaller groupings such as the MCI–PCD–UDD coalition and the Basta movement competing for the balance.
With an electorate of around 120,000, counting is comparatively quick and a provisional result is usually known within a day or two. Live national figures and a constituency map will appear on this page as the National Electoral Commission (CEN) reports.
Compiled and reviewed by Bartłomiej Paruzel, Election Data Analyst, from official results. See our data methodology.