This is turning into São Tomé e Príncipe week. Anyhow, municipal and regional elections were held on the island on 25 July, one week before the legislative election. Not least because the National Electoral Commission does not have a website, it has proven extremely difficult to get any information about the election, even from local São Tomé news sites. Still, I have found one report in Notícias Lusófonas.

This is the summary of the results at the national level.

Movimento de Libertação de São Tomé e Príncipe/Partido Social Democrata (Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party – MLSTP/PSD) – 19,577 votes, 31 seats
Acção Democrática Independente (Independent Democratic Action – ADI) – 19,321 votes, 17 seats
Partido para da Convergência Democrática (Democratic Convergence Party – PCD), 12,597 votes, 4 seats
Movimento Democrático Força de Mudança/Partido Liberal (Force for Change Democratic Movement/Liberal Party – MDFM/PL) – 8,864 votes, 0 seats

According to the report, 59 seats were in play. Presumably local parties won the remainder of the seats.

So, the MLSTP/PSD seems to have done better at the local elections than at the legislative election, though the ADI, which was the winner of the legislative election, did win the two biggest local councils. Again the president’s party, MDFM/PL, did very badly. Given the MDFM/PL was formed when it split from the ADI, presumably MDFM/PL voters have gone back to the ADI.

In the regional election in Príncipe, the president of the regional government, José Cassandra, was re-elected. His three-party alliance of the ADI, PCD and MDFM-PL won all seven seats, leaving the MLSTP/PSD with no seats as was the case after the 2006 elections.

The results of the 2006 local elections are available here.