The government of São Tomé and Príncipe has been dismissed by presidential decree due to its "inability" to address the country’s issues.
According to the decree published on the presidency's Facebook page, President Carlos Vila Nova has "removed (...) the constitutional government led by Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada," as reported by local media.
The decree cites the government’s "notable inability" to "provide solutions" to the country’s "significant existing problems" and the "frequent and prolonged absences of the Prime Minister (...) from the national territory" as reasons for the decision.
After winning the most seats in the 2022 legislative elections, the Independent Democratic Action party (ADI, center-right), from which both Vila Nova—elected president in 2021—and Trovoada hail, has been "invited to present, within 72 hours, another candidate to assume the position of Prime Minister and head of government," according to the statement.
For his part, the Prime Minister of the small African archipelago stated on Tuesday that the president "has clearly violated the Constitution" by dismissing him on Monday, particularly due to his "frequent" absences, and announced that he would appeal the decision.
"We request the Constitutional Court to make an urgent ruling, as this is a dismissal driven by political interests (...) In our view, Mr. Carlos Vila Nova, President of the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, has violated the Constitution," declared Patrice Trovoada.
The dismissed head of government claimed that the president did not adhere to the constitutional conditions required to dissolve the government.
