Delfim Neves

Delfim Neves
President of the National Assembly of São Tomé and Príncipe
In office
22 November 2018 – 8 November 2022
Preceded byJosé da Graca Diogo
Succeeded byCelmira Sacramento
Personal details
Born
Delfim Santiago das Neves

(1965-06-05) 5 June 1965 (age 59)
Caué District, Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe
Political partyPCD
Children4
Alma materFederal University of Santa Catarina
OccupationPolitician

Delfim Santiago das Neves (born 5 June 1965)[1] is a São Toméan politician, currently serving as president of the National Assembly of São Tomé and Príncipe since 2018.[2] On 25 November 2022 Neves was arrested on charges of leading the 2022 São Tomé and Príncipe coup d'état attempt.

Biography

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Neves was born on 5 June 1965 in Conceião, located in Caué District in São Tomé and Príncipe.[1] He graduated at the Federal University of Santa Catarina.[1] He has 4 children.[1]

Neves ran in the 2011 presidential election and finished third with 14.36% of the vote, behind Evaristo Carvalho and the eventual winner Manuel Pinto da Costa.[3]

In 2018, Neves became the president of the Democratic Convergence Party.[4] He was elected President of the National Assembly on 22 November 2018, with 28 votes for his candidature, and 25 for his opponent, Carlos Cassandra Correia.[5] In his inaugartion speech, he declared Alda do Espírito Santo and Francisco da Silva were his inspirations.[6]

Neves was a candidate for the 2021 presidential election, supported by his Democratic Convergence Party. He finished third with 16.88% of the vote, behind Guilherme Posser da Costa and the eventual winner Carlos Vila Nova.[7] He contested results alleging “massive electoral fraud” but was rejected by the Constitutional Court, with international observers praising the election.[8][9][10]

In November 2022, Delfim Neves was arrested for attempting a coup d'état. He, along with an ex-mercenary who attempted a previous coup in 2009, tried to attack the headquarters of the army.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Biografia do Presidente da Assembleia Nacional". www2.camara.leg.br. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  2. ^ "Sao Tome and Principe". Parline: the IPU’s Open Data Platform. 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  3. ^ "Mr Pinto da Costa is elected president". country.eiu.com. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  4. ^ Nón, Téla (2018-10-03). "Coligação apostada em derrotar a ADI". Téla Nón (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  5. ^ "L'opposition prend la tête du Parlement au Sao Tomé". VOA (in French). Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  6. ^ Neto, Ricardo (2018-11-23). "Delfim Neves diz que irá inspirar-se em doutrinas de Alda Espírito Santo e Francisco Silva". STP-PRESS (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  7. ^ AfricaNews (2021-09-06). "Opposition candidate Carlos Vila Nova wins Sao Tome presidency: partial results". Africanews. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  8. ^ Betha (2021-07-20). "Sao Tome presidential race narrows to two". African Insider. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  9. ^ "Sao Tome and Principe second round presidential elections". Foreign Brief. 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  10. ^ "Sao Tome: African Union observers hail 'peaceful, calm' presidential elections". Macau Business. 2021-09-07. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  11. ^ "Coup d'État déjoué à São Tomé-et-Principe: l'ex-président de l'Assemblée et un mercenaire arrêtés". Jeune Afrique (in French). 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25.