São Tomé and Príncipe holds regular, competitive elections and has undergone multiple transfers of power between rival parties. Civil liberties are generally respected, but poverty and corruption have weakened some institutions and contributed to dysfunction in the justice system.

• The government and other state institutions took a number of steps during the year to combat corruption and improve financial oversight, particularly as the country faced pressure from the International Monetary Fund to adopt austerity measures in exchange for renewed assistance. In May, the Court of Auditors reported that the majority of public institutions—including the presidency—had failed to submit their 2023 accounts for review, and that it would respond by seeking to impose fines. In June, the government called for the creation of a telephone hotline for anonymous reporting of corruption in public services, and the Constitutional Court created a commission to monitor the accounts of political parties and electoral campaigns.
• In April, the Superior Council of the Judiciary canceled the appointment of eight new judges after the government and members of the National Assembly objected to the quality of the recruitment process, prompting the candidates to warn of political interference in the judicial branch. The incident threatened to exacerbate understaffing in the courts and a related backlog of unresolved cases.
• In August, the Supreme Court of Justice upheld a 15-year prison sentence handed down in late 2023 against the only surviving suspect in a November 2022 attack on military barracks that the government described as a coup attempt. Seven military personnel who had been detained separately for their alleged role in the torture and murder of others involved in the attack were still awaiting a military trial at the end of 2024.

This report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Freedom in the World is entirely funded by nongovernmental sources such as private foundations, corporations, and individuals like you. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.