São Tomé and Príncipe Heads to Polls in Tense Presidential Election As voters in São Tomé and Príncipe cast their ballots on Sunday, one thing is clear: this presidential election is not about democracy as much as it's about who holds the reins of power.
The island nation off Africa's west coast has a reputation for peaceful and competitive elections since gaining independence from Portugal in 1975.
However, this year's vote comes with a peculiar twist – a constitutional crisis that threatens to undermine the very foundations of São Toméan democracy.