Politics
Main article: Politics of São Tomé and Príncipe
In 1990, São Tomé became one of the first African countries to embrace democratic reform and changes to the constitution - the legalization of opposition political parties - led to elections in 1991 that were nonviolent, free, and transparent. Miguel Trovoada, a former prime minister who had been in exile since 1986, returned as an independent candidate and was elected president. Trovoada was re-elected in São Tomé's second multiparty presidential election in 1996. The Party of Democratic Convergence (PCD) toppled the MLSTP to take a majority of seats in the National Assembly, with the MLSTP becoming an important and vocal minority party.
Municipal elections followed in late 1992, in which the MLSTP came back to win a majority of seats on five of seven regional councils. In early legislative elections in October 1994, the MLSTP won a plurality of seats in the Assembly. It regained an outright majority of seats in the November 1998 elections. Presidential elections were held in July 2001. The candidate backed by the Independent Democratic Action Party, Fradique de Menezes, was elected in the first round and inaugurated on September 3. Parliamentary elections were held in March 2002.
On July 16, 2003, Maj. Fernando Pereira took over the government in a military coup. Prime Minister Maria das Neves and other ministers were detained by Pereira's forces. It is believed that the coup was, in part, a response to the administration's dealings with various oil corporations. After a week of negotiations Pereira's junta signed an accord with the former leaders and stepped down, and de Menezes and das Neves resumed power.