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Country name:
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conventional long
form: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe
local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe
local short form: Sao Tome e Principe |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Sao Tome |
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Administrative divisions:
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2 provinces;
Principe, Sao Tome
note: Principe has had self-government since 29 April 1995
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Independence:
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12 July 1975 (from
Portugal)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 12
July (1975)
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Constitution:
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approved March 1990;
effective 10 September 1990 |
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Legal system:
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based on Portuguese
legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age;
universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state:
President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Maria do Carmo SILVEIRA
(since 7 June 2005); Damiao Vaz DE ALMEIDA resigned 2 June 2005
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on
the proposal of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; election last held 29 July 2001 (next to be held July 2006);
prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the
president
election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president in
Sao Tome's third multiparty presidential election; percent of vote -
NA% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National
Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by
direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 March 2002 (next to be held March
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - MLSTP 39.6%,
Force for Change Democratic Movement 39.4%, Ue-Kedadji coalition
16.2%; seats by party - MLSTP 24, Force for Change Democratic
Movement 23, Ue-Kedadji coalition 8 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (judges
are appointed by the National Assembly) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Renovation
Party [Armindo GRACA]; Force for Change Democratic Movement [leader
NA]; Independent Democratic Action or ADI [Carlos NEVES]; Movement
for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party
or MLSTP-PSD [Manuel Pinto Da COSTA]; Party for Democratic
Convergence or PCD [Aldo BANDEIRA]; Ue-Kedadji coalition [leader
NA]; other small parties |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OPCW,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
(observer) |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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Sao Tome and Principe
does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a Permanent
Mission to the UN, headed by First Secretary Domingos Augusto
FERREIRA, located at 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022,
telephone [1] (212) 317-0580 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US does not have
an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the Ambassador to Gabon is
accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes
periodic visits to the islands
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Flag description:
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three horizontal
bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two
black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the
yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side;
uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia |