The EU EOM is observing election day in São Tomé and Príncipe with 50 observers on the ground

Press release

São Tomé, 27 September 2026, 12 pm – Today, 27 September, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) is observing the parliamentary, local and regional elections in São Tomé and Príncipe.

“Today we have 50 observers on the ground, including a delegation from the European Parliament, who have been present at polling stations in all districts of São Tomé and in the Autonomous Region of Príncipe since the polls opened,” said Sérgio Humberto, Chief of the Mission. “We observed the opening of 15 polling stations and, at a small number of them, noted a slight delay,” he added.

The MEP provided this information during a press briefing at São João Secondary School in São Tomé, after having observed proceedings in the district of Água Grande.

“With regard to the voting, I must say that our Mission has already observed 46 polling stations and, at most of them, our teams noted a calm, peaceful and orderly atmosphere. Overall, we have observed an improvement in the implementation of procedures compared with the presidential elections. So far, we have not recorded any incidents,” he said.

The EU EOM teams are deployed in both urban and rural areas across the country. “We will continue to observe throughout the day, monitoring the remainder of the voting process until the results are finalised. We hope that the voting process will continue to proceed in a peaceful and orderly manner,” emphasised Sérgio Humberto.

The Chief of EU observers added: “We also call for a high turnout on this important day for democracy.”

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The EU EOM’s preliminary statement on these elections will be presented at a press conference on Tuesday, 29 September, at 12.00, in São Tomé, and will include the first assessment of the on-the-ground observation since the Mission’s return to the country, in early September.

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For more information, contact:

Alessandro Gori

Press officer

Tel. +239 904 8420 

E-mail: alessandro.gori@eomsaotomeeprincipe2026.eu 

This press release in English in PDF:

And the version in Portuguese::