The Constitutional Court of São Tomé and Príncipe officially declared incumbent President Carlos Vila Nova re-elected on Tuesday following the July 19 presidential vote, securing him a second five-year term.
Announcing the final election results at the conclusion of the general vote tally, the court confirmed that Vila Nova secured a decisive first-round victory by surpassing the absolute majority threshold required under Article 14 of the national electoral code.
The final official count recorded 56,574 valid votes, representing a voter turnout of approximately 40 percent among registered voters. Running as an independent candidate, Vila Nova claimed victory with 31,613 votes, or 55.88 percent of the valid votes cast. His main challenger, Nito de Abreu—backed by the Independent Democratic Action (ADI) party—received 23,457 votes (41.46 percent), while remaining candidates Mix João Bonfim and Eugénio Tiny secured 1.59 percent and 1.07 percent respectively.
The President of the Constitutional Court stated that full vote tallies will be published in the Official Gazette pursuant to Article 160 of the electoral code prior to the formal proclamation of victory. First elected to office in 2021 with ADI backing, Vila Nova launched an independent bid in this election cycle following a political rift with his former party after the political crisis that resulted in the dismissal of former Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada in 2025.
AC/Sf/lb/abj/APA