Abstract

NASCIMENTO, Augusto. The 2018 legislative elections. About the survival of democracy in São Tomé and Príncipe. Cadernos de Estudos Africanos [online]. 2019, n.38, pp.93-122.  Epub June 11, 2021. ISSN 1645-3794.

This text seeks to describe and analyze the historical development and contingencies of the democratic system in São Tomé and Príncipe. In particular, it intends to highlight the political significance of the October 7, 2018 elections, which proved to be a hallmark of democracy in the archipelago. This text aims to identify points of reflection on the survival of democracy in a micro-island context in Africa. Rather than equating the viability of representative democracy in the light of a presumed African idiosyncrasy, it assesses the superiority of democracy in the face of São Tomé’s choices, often less based on political principles, than, for example, on the adherence to big men or salvific projects, as one of the data of the prevailing political culture in the islands.

Keywords : São Tomé and Príncipe; democracy; authoritarianism; elections.

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