The Most Famous

POLITICIANS from São Tomé and Príncipe

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This page contains a list of the greatest Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 19,576 Politicians, 7 of which were born in São Tomé and Príncipe. This makes São Tomé and Príncipe the birth place of the 164th most number of Politicians behind Lesotho, and Palau.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Politicians of all time. This list of famous Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Politicians.

Photo of Manuel Pinto da Costa

1. Manuel Pinto da Costa (b. 1937)

With an HPI of 59.11, Manuel Pinto da Costa is the most famous Politician.  His biography has been translated into 37 different languages on wikipedia.

Manuel Pinto da Costa (born 5 August 1937) is a Santomean economist and politician who served as the first president of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1975 to 1991. He again served as president from 2011 to 2016.

Photo of Evaristo Carvalho

2. Evaristo Carvalho (1942 - 2022)

With an HPI of 58.87, Evaristo Carvalho is the 2nd most famous Politician.  His biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Evaristo do Espírito Santo Carvalho (22 October 1941 – 28 May 2022) was a São Toméan politician who served as the fourth president of São Tomé and Príncipe from 2016 to 2021. He was previously the prime minister of the country on two occasions.

Photo of Fradique de Menezes

3. Fradique de Menezes (b. 1942)

With an HPI of 55.70, Fradique de Menezes is the 3rd most famous Politician.  His biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Fradique Bandeira Melo de Menezes (born 21 March 1942) is a São Toméan politician who was the third president of São Tomé and Príncipe from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2003 to 2011.

Photo of Miguel Trovoada

4. Miguel Trovoada (b. 1937)

With an HPI of 53.25, Miguel Trovoada is the 4th most famous Politician.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Miguel dos Anjos da Cunha Lisboa Trovoada (born 27 December 1936) was the prime minister from 1975 to 1979 and second president of São Tomé and Príncipe 1991 to 2001. On 16 July 2014, he was appointed the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS). Prior to this, he was the executive secretary of the Gulf of Guinea Commission.

Photo of Carlos Vila Nova

5. Carlos Vila Nova (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 51.26, Carlos Vila Nova is the 5th most famous Politician.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Carlos Manuel Vila Nova (born 27 July 1959) is a São Toméan politician who is the fifth and current president of São Tomé and Príncipe, since 2 October 2021. He served as the minister of Public Works and Natural Resources (2010–2012) and minister of Infrastructure, Natural Resources and the Environment (2014–2018) in successive governments of Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada. He was the Independent Democratic Action candidate for the 2021 presidential election. On 6 September, he was declared president-elect of São Tomé and Príncipe, receiving 58% of the vote and defeating Guilherme Posser da Costa of the MLSTP/PSD. On 14 September, he was declared president by the Tribunal constitutional court.

Photo of Carlos Graça

6. Carlos Graça (1931 - 2013)

With an HPI of 45.50, Carlos Graça is the 6th most famous Politician.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Carlos Alberto Monteiro Dias da Graça (22 December 1931 – 17 April 2013) served as the 6th Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Photo of Leonel Mário d'Alva

7. Leonel Mário d'Alva (b. 1935)

With an HPI of 44.58, Leonel Mário d'Alva is the 7th most famous Politician.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Leonel Mário d'Alva (born July 22, 1935) is a São Toméan politician. He served as the prime minister of São Tomé and Príncipe from 21 December 1974 until 12 July 1975, when the country gained independence from Portugal. D'Alva was Minister of Economic Co-ordination from July to December 1975. From late 1975 to 1980, he was President of the São Toméan National Assembly. After the country's first democratic elections in 1991, he was again elected National Assembly President. He also served as foreign minister from 1975 to 1978 and was acting president from 4 March to 3 April 1991. D'Alva co-founded the Democratic Convergence Party – Reflection Group (PCD–RG) in 1991 and subsequently led it for many years.

Photo of Maria do Carmo Silveira

8. Maria do Carmo Silveira (b. 1961)

With an HPI of 43.48, Maria do Carmo Silveira is the 8th most famous Politician.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Maria do Carmo Trovoada Pires de Carvalho Silveira (born 14 February 1961) served as the 13th prime minister of São Tomé and Príncipe from 8 June 2005 to 21 April 2006.

Photo of Maria das Neves

9. Maria das Neves (b. 1958)

With an HPI of 41.35, Maria das Neves is the 9th most famous Politician.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Maria das Neves Ceita Baptista de Sousa (born 1958) served as the 11th prime minister of São Tomé and Príncipe. She was a key figure in the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe-Social Democratic Party (MLSTP-PSD) and became the first woman head of government in the country.

Photo of Joaquim Rafael Branco

10. Joaquim Rafael Branco (b. 1953)

With an HPI of 40.61, Joaquim Rafael Branco is the 10th most famous Politician.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Joaquim Rafael Branco (born 7 September 1953) is a São Toméan politician who was the 16th prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe from 2008 to 2010. He is the President of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party (MLSTP/PSD).

People

Pantheon has 12 people classified as politicians born between 1931 and 1962. Of these 12, 8 (66.67%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living politicians include Manuel Pinto da Costa, Fradique de Menezes, and Carlos Vila Nova. The most famous deceased politicians include Evaristo Carvalho, Miguel Trovoada, and Carlos Graça. As of April 2024, 4 new politicians have been added to Pantheon including Carlos Graça, Leonel Mário d'Alva, and Joaquim Rafael Branco.

Living Politicians

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Deceased Politicians

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Newly Added Politicians (2024)

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