1998 São Toméan parliamentary election

none São Tomé and Príncipe 1994 8 November 1998 2002 All 55 seats in the National Assembly 28 64.68% ( 12.59pp) Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe – Social Democratic Party Manuel Pinto da Costa 50.61 31 27 Independent Democratic Action Carlos NevesThe party was strongly associated with President Miguel Trovoada 28.19 16 14 Democratic Convergence Party (São Tomé and Príncipe) Alda Bandeira 15.99 8 14 1998 São Tomé and Príncipe legislative election - Results by constituency.svg Results by district Prime Minister Raúl Bragança Neto Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe – Social Democratic Party Guilherme Posser da Costa Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe – Social Democratic Party Parliamentary elections were held in São Tomé and Príncipe on 8 November 1998. The result was a victory for the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe-Social Democratic Party, which won 31 of the 55 seats in the National Assembly. Voter Turnout was 64.5%.Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p746 0-19-829645-2 Background The 1998 National Assembly elections were originally scheduled for late September/early October as impressive progress on voter registration was made. On 1 September, however, President Miguel Trovoada issued a decree setting the polling date at 8 November. Nine political parties competed for the 55 seats at stake. These included the three represented in the outgoing parliament: the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (MLSTP-PSD), the Democratic Convergence Party (PCD) and the Independent Democratic Action (ADI). Since the previous elections in 1994, the first two groups had governed in a coalition, led since November 1996 by Prime Minister Raul Bragança Neto. ADI, for its part, supported the policies of President Trovoada. The election campaign lasted from 22 October to 6 November. Issues debated centered on the exploitation of offshore oil reserves and the country's entry into the monetary Franc zone. Mr. Bragança (MLSTP) stated that his party had improved economic conditions and brought political stability to Sao Tome, which had seen a succession of governments in the 1990s. Led by Alda Bandeira, the PCD called for continued coalition rule to ensure such stability. Polling day was monitored by international observers. Final results gave an absolute majority (31 seats) to the left-leaning MLSTP-PSD, which had fallen short of this edge by only one seat in 1994. In this context, ADI alleged irregularities in the voting procedure. The victors promptly announced that their priority would be to reorganize the economy and thus alleviate the widespread poverty plaguing the nation. On 30 December, President Trovoada appointed former Foreign Minister Guilherme Posser da Costa (MLSTP) as Prime Minister; he and the new Cabinet were sworn in on 5 January 1999. Results File:Asamblea Nacional de Santo Tomé y Príncipe 1998.svg MLSTP–PSD 14771 31 +4 Independent Democratic Action 8227 16 +2 Democratic Convergence Party–Reflection Group 4667 8 –6 Opposition Democratic Coalition 483 0 0 National Union for Democracy and Progress 363 0 New People's Party of Progress 334 0 New People's Alliance 184 0 0 Christian Democratic Front 156 0 0 0 2923 49639 African Elections Database, Economist Intelligence UnitCountry Report: Congo (Brazzaville), São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Economist Intelligence Unit, 1999, p22 By district DistrictMLSTP-PSDPCD-GRADIÁgua Grande823Cantagalo322Caué311Lembá402Lobata402Mé-Zóchi625Pagué311Total31816 Notes References Category:Parliamentary elections in São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé Parliament São Tomé