The Constitutional Court of São Tomé and Príncipe has disbanded four parties that ran in the September 25 legislative elections but failed to reach the minimum 0.5% of votes required by law.
The order 63/2022, dated Tuesday, stresses that “it is incumbent upon the Constitutional Court to automatically extinguish political parties that have not reached 0.5 of the votes cast from the universe of voters.
“It is noted that the Social Democratic Movement, Green Party/São Tomé and Príncipe ” MSD/PVSTP”, the Party of All Santomans “PTOS”, the Union Movement for the Broad Development of São Tomé and Príncipe “MUDA-STP” and the Movement for Progress – New Party, have not obtained the minimum 0.5 percent of votes cast required to remain as political parties, and that under these conditions the No 1 of article 166 of the electoral law No 06/2021, imposes the automatic extinction of the parties in question by the Constitutional Court without the need for any process,” reads the order.
According to official data released by the TC, the MSD/PVSTP led by Elsa Garrido, who ran for the second time and was the only woman candidate for prime minister in the September 25 elections, got 275 (0.34%).
The PTOS headed by Victor Rosário got 195 (0.24%), while the newly created MUDA-STP, led by Tomé Vera Cruz, got 393 votes (0.49%) and the New Party, led by, Abílio Espírito Santo, got 355 votes (0.44%).
The São Toméan law establishes that these extinct parties “cannot appear, in the following four years, with the same denomination, acronym and statutes.