Former Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi leads the African Union Election Observation Mission (AU) for the Sunday presidential elections in São Tomé and Príncipe, today announced the continental organization.
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Dand according to a statement from the African Union Commission, the mission was highlighted at the invitation of the Santomian Government to monitor and evaluate the electoral process in accordance with the democratic principles advocated by the African organization.
Filipe Nyusi held the Presidency of Mozambique between 2015 and 2025. In November 2025, he had already led an identical mission to the general elections in Guinea-Bissau, followed by a military-led coup d’état.
The mission in São Tomé and Principe consists of 29 short-term observers from 17 AU Member States, including ambassadors accredited to the organisation, independent electoral specialists and representatives of civil society and African youth organisations.
Observers remain in the country between July 11 and 23 and are mandated to evaluate all stages of the electoral process, through meetings with candidates, political parties, government authorities, electoral management bodies, representatives of civil society, media and other international electoral observation missions.
According to the African Union, the work of the mission is based on the national legislation of São Tomé and Príncipe and various African and international instruments on democracy, governance and election observation.
The organisation also announced that the mission will release a preliminary statement with its first conclusions and recommendations on 21 July, while the final report will be prepared after the final results are proclaimed.
The Santomese Constitutional Court has admitted five candidates to Sunday presidential: Eugênio Rodrigues da Trindade “Tiny”, Nito de Sousa Viegas D’Abreu, Miques João do Nascimento de Jesus Bonfim, Carlos Manuel Vila Nova, who is re-applied to the post, and Jorge Bom Jesus, who later announced the withdrawal of the election race after the legal deadline expired.
According to the National Electoral Commission (CEN), the final data of the automatic electoral census recorded 142.191 voters, of which 121.670 residents in São Tomé and Príncipe and 20.521 in the diaspora. Of these, 15.917 are registered in five European countries and 5,324 in four African countries.