Sao Tome and Principe's new PM resigns

SAO TOME - Prime Minister of Sao Tome and Principe Ilza Amado Vaz submitted her resignation to President Carlos Vila Nova on Sunday, citing the premature release of her proposed cabinet list to the public before informing the president, according to a presidential decree that dismissed her from office.

Amado Vaz, former minister of justice, was appointed as the new prime minister on Thursday, following the president's decision to dissolve the government of Patrice Trovoada on Monday.

According to the decree, after the dissolution of the previous government, Amado Vaz was required to submit the structure and names of her proposed government by Saturday. However, in her resignation letter to the president, she acknowledged that the proposed cabinet list had been made public before the president was informed.

In her resignation statement, Amado Vaz explained that her continued leadership "would not contribute to the success of public policies and the harmonious and peaceful development of Sao Tome and Principe," stressing that these objectives cannot be achieved "without stability, strong institutional collaboration and parliamentary support."

The country's national news agency STP-Press reported that Amado Vaz submitted the proposed government structure to the president on Saturday, which consisted of 12 ministers. However, the letter was published the same day on social media by the ruling Independent Democratic Action Party (ADI).

The president's decision to dissolve the government has sparked political controversy in the West African island nation.

On Tuesday, one day after the government was dissolved, Trovoada held a press conference at his office, describing the president's decision as unconstitutional. The ADI, to which both Vila Nova and Trovoada belong, has appealed to the Constitutional Court to overturn the president's decision.

In selecting a new prime minister, Vila Nova rejected the ADI's earlier nominee, Helio de Almeida, who previously served as director-general of the Fiduciary and Project Management Agency and as governor of the Central Bank of Sao Tome and Principe.