São Tomé Swears In a President Who Says Power Is Not Property
SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE · POLITICS
Key Facts
—The result: Carlos Vila Nova was re-elected with 55.88% of the vote in the election held on 19 July.
—The inauguration: He was invested for a second term at a ceremony attended by national and foreign guests.
—The slogan: His campaign line, “Primeiro São Tomé e Príncipe”, was restated as the compass of the new mandate.
—On power: He said power belongs to nobody and is a service and a temporary responsibility exercised for the community.
—On institutions: He called for justice that is effective and swift, and for political stability built on responsibility and accountability.
—On honesty: He argued for facing problems truthfully, without hiding difficulties or letting them take away hope.
—The scale: São Tomé and Príncipe has a population of roughly 230,000 across two islands in the Gulf of Guinea.
—The catch: A president re-elected on 55.88% in the first round still faces a parliament he does not control.
The Vila Nova second term began this week in São Tomé and Príncipe, after the president took 55.88% of the vote in July. His inaugural address was built around a single idea: that power is not the property of the person holding it.
What he said, and why it registered
Carlos Vila Nova told the ceremony that whoever exercises leadership must understand that power is not anyone’s property. He described it as a service and a temporary responsibility to be exercised for the benefit of the community.
That is not an unusual sentiment at an inauguration. It is a pointed one in a country that has cycled through governments at speed since independence.
He also said the renewal of confidence obliges him to do more and better, working with greater determination for those who believe in better days. The address was reported in full by Téla Nón.
The result behind the Vila Nova second term
The election was held on 19 July and returned him with 55.88% of the vote. That is a clear margin in a country where presidential contests have often gone to a run-off.
He framed the win as more than an electoral triumph, calling it a renewal of commitment and responsibility. Presidents describe their own mandates generously, and the arithmetic is nonetheless solid.
The campaign slogan, Primeiro São Tomé e Príncipe, was restated as the guiding principle of the term. He insisted it was a conviction rather than a marketing choice.
The two promises worth holding him to
The first is an effective and swift justice system. Slow courts are a recurring complaint in small states where the judiciary is thin and cases can sit for years.
The second is political stability grounded in responsibility and accountability. In São Tomé that means the relationship between the presidency, the government and the national assembly, which has been the source of most of the country’s instability.
Both are measurable. Case clearance rates and the survival of governments are public facts.
What the presidency can and cannot do
São Tomé and Príncipe is a semi-presidential republic. The president appoints the prime minister from the parliamentary majority and can dissolve the assembly under defined conditions, but does not run the government day to day.
That structure has produced repeated friction between presidents and prime ministers. It also means an inaugural promise about justice depends on cooperation the president cannot compel.
Readers should therefore treat the address as an agenda rather than a programme. The programme belongs to the government.
A very small economy with a very large map position
The country has a population of roughly 230,000 and one of the smallest economies in Africa. It also sits in the Gulf of Guinea, beside some of the continent’s busiest shipping and hydrocarbon zones.
That position has repeatedly attracted outside interest, from oil exploration in the joint development zone with Nigeria to port and logistics proposals. Interest has consistently outrun delivery.
The result is an economy still dependent on cocoa, tourism, remittances and external support. Diversification has been announced more often than achieved.
The Lusophone connection
São Tomé sits inside the CPLP, the community of Portuguese-speaking countries, alongside Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Timor-Leste. That network is the country’s main diplomatic amplifier.
It also shapes where investment and technical assistance come from. Portuguese and Brazilian institutions have a standing presence disproportionate to the islands’ size.
For readers in Brazil, this is a familiar and underexamined link. The Lusophone Atlantic is a real economic space, and its smallest member is easy to overlook.
Why a small inauguration deserves attention
Coverage of African politics gravitates to the largest markets, which means countries of a quarter of a million people effectively disappear. Their governance outcomes are no less instructive.
Small states also show institutional stress earlier and more visibly than large ones. A judiciary under strain is obvious when there are only a handful of courts.
That makes São Tomé a useful early indicator rather than a footnote.
What to watch
The first marker is the working relationship with the government and the assembly over the coming months. Cohabitation is where São Toméan presidencies are usually tested.
The second is whether any judicial reform is actually tabled. An inaugural line about swift justice is cheap until a bill exists.
The third is the external accounts. Small island economies live or die on external financing, and the terms available to them have tightened everywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is São Tomé and Príncipe’s president?
Carlos Vila Nova, who was re-elected with 55.88% of the vote in the election held on 19 July 2026 and has been sworn in for a second term.
What did he say at the inauguration?
He said power is not anyone’s property but a service and a temporary responsibility exercised for the community. He also called for effective and swift justice and for stability based on accountability.
What was his campaign slogan?
Primeiro São Tomé e Príncipe, or São Tomé and Príncipe First. He described it as a conviction and the compass of his mandate rather than a slogan.
How large is the country?
São Tomé and Príncipe has a population of roughly 230,000 across two islands in the Gulf of Guinea. It is one of Africa’s smallest economies.
What powers does the president have?
The country is a semi-presidential republic. The president appoints a prime minister from the parliamentary majority and does not run the government day to day. Friction between the two offices has been a recurring source of instability.
Connected Coverage
We wrote about the Portuguese play São Tomé rewrote five centuries ago, and Equatorial Guinea running short of gas and looking next door. Central Africa’s small states are a standing part of Africa: The New Scramble.
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