Américo Ramos rejects call for election abstention in São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe Prime Minister Américo Ramos has criticized a call for voter abstention ahead of the legislative and local elections scheduled for September. Ramos argued that calling for a boycott is a poor political strategy, emphasizing that voting is a civic duty and that the population should participate to choose their leaders for the next four years.

The call for abstention was made by former Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada, who urged members of the Independent Democratic Action (ADI) party not to vote. Trovoada is protesting what he describes as “mafia-like political maneuvers” and judicial decisions that he claims have prevented him from leading the party and contesting the elections. He characterized the situation as an attack on rights and a prohibition on the people's ability to choose their representatives.