The opposition Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe – Social Democratic Party (MLSTP-PSD) won 24 of 55 seats in the 27 September parliamentary election, provisional results showed on 30 September. The governing Independent Democratic Action (ADI) fell to 23 seats from the 30 it won in 2022, while a coalition of smaller parties took six. The vote follows the president’s dismissal of Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada in January 2025. With 28 seats needed for a majority, the six-seat coalition now holds the balance, extending the pattern of power alternating between the two main parties. Turnout was low, with abstention at nearly 63%.