The second round of the presidential election has been postponed again in São Tomé and Príncipe. This Tuesday the Parliament of the small archipelago located in the Gulf of Guinea has voted a “law of exception” so that the election takes place on September 5. The electoral Commission had already postponed the second round of the presidential election to August 29, although it was initially scheduled for August 8, following accusations of fraud in the first round.
The law passed in Parliament now provides for a second round of presidential elections on September 5. The problem is that the term of the incumbent president is due to end on September 3, two days before. In the event of a power vacuum, the law is not formal, but the Speaker of Parliament could take over as interim President.
“The President of Parliament, Delfim Neves, was a presidential candidate. He failed and came third. And it was he who contested the results of the first round of voting,” said political analyst Oliveo Diogo, which led to the postponement of the second round. Delfim Neves also rejected the idea of a vote to extend the mandate of the current president until the electoral process is concluded.
For Oliveo Diogo, it seems clear that Delfim Neves wants to become interim president. “He is the one who caused this whole situation,” he says. But what are his intentions next? The political scientist wonders.