São Tomé and Príncipe

The island republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, located in the Gulf of Guinea, is, after the Seychelles, the smallest country in Africa, covering a total area of 1,001 square kilometers (386 square miles), with a population estimated at 137,599 in 2004, of which about 6,000 live on the smaller island of Príncipe. The mountainous islands of volcanic origin are covered by dense tropical vegetation. The Pico de São Tomé (2,024 meters; 6,640 feet) is the highest mountain.

The native Creole population is descended from African slaves and Portuguese settlers who colonized the uninhabited islands from the late fifteenth century. The plantation system dominated the local economy until the 1990s, when the large plantations were dissolved and the lands were distributed to former estate workers. Although cocoa has remained the most important export crop since the 1890s, after independence in 1975 cocoa production steadily decreased and no longer was able to sustain the economy. The country is completely dependent on foreign aid. Per capita income was estimated at $338 in 2003, and more than half of the people live in extreme poverty. The government has vested great hopes in offshore oil deposits discovered at the turn of the twenty-first century.

After independence in 1975 the country became constitutionally a socialist one-party state. The head of state was Manuel Pinto da Costa (b. 1937), who served from 1975 to 1990. As a result of economic failure, from the mid-1980s the regime gradually shifted away from the socialist model, liberalized the economy, and introduced a multiparty democracy. The democratic constitution approved in 1990 is modeled on the Portuguese example.

Under the semipresidential system, the head of state has executive powers in defense and foreign affairs. The head of government is the prime minister. Legislative power is exercised by the fifty-five-member National Assembly. The many ambiguous provisions of the semipresidential constitution have favored power struggles and resource competition between the president and the government. In turn, these conflicts have contributed to frequent government changes and political instability.

There are twelve officially registered political parties, of which four dispose of a functioning party apparatus and receive regular electoral support. Political parties represent competing interest groups within the local elite rather than diverging political programs. Since 1991 both presidential and legislative elections have been held regularly and peacefully. Voter turnout has been high by international standards, and elections have been considered free and fair, although campaigns frequently have been affected by vote buying. The first democratically elected president was Miguel Trovoada (b. 1936), who served from 1991 to 2001. In 2001 Fradique de Menezes (b. 1942) was elected president. Twice—in 1995 and 2003—a discontented military waged a bloodless coup d'etat. In both cases the constitutional order was restored after one week of negotiations mediated by foreign governments.

The public administration has been affected by institutional weakness and sluggishness, and corruption and other forms of malpractice have become widespread. As a result of similar shortcomings the constitutionally independent judiciary has not functioned properly and is vulnerable to political manipulation. Since the democratic transition the government has respected the legally guaranteed human rights. The independent media are weak because there are no daily newspapers but only a few sporadically published newsletters. Television and radio are state-owned and subject to government influence.

bibliography

Hodges, Tony, and Newitt, Malyn. São Tomé and Príncipe. From Plantation Colony to Microstate. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1988.

Seibert, Gerhard. Comrades, Clients and Cousins: Colonialism, Socialism and Democratization in São Tomé and Príncipe. Leiden, Netherlands: CNWS Publications, 2001.

Seibert, Gerhard. "São Tomé e Príncipe." In A History of Postcolonial Lusophone Africa, ed. Patrick Chabal. London: C. Hurst, 2002.

Seibert, Gerhard. "São Tomé and Príncipe." In Legal Systems of the World: A Political, Social and Cultural Encyclopedia, ed. Herbert M. Kritzer. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2002.

Gerhard Seibert